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moseattle
Newbie
Posts: 15
Registered: 11-8-2004
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cell phone use in Baja
Hi all
I'm wondering if I should look into something for my cell phone where I can get temporary service in Baja. Is there any reception there?
Mo
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moseattle
Newbie
Posts: 15
Registered: 11-8-2004
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cell phone use in Baja
P.S. I'm just looking to call from within Baja for arranging hotels, tours, emergencies, etc.
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moseattle
Newbie
Posts: 15
Registered: 11-8-2004
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cell phone use in Baja
P.S.S. Actually, I'm sure emergencies won't be "arranged"... 
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64856
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Cell service only in cities in northern Baja or along the Hwy. 5 route much of the way. However, you need the phone modified for Mexico's cell system.
My Sprint phone was supposedly made good for Mexican calls, but never has worked for me for calls inside Mexico.
The only sure thing is a satellite phone... and one can be rented at Discover Baja Travel Club for $75/week & $2.50/ min.
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grace59
Senior Nomad
Posts: 614
Registered: 9-14-2004
Location: San Felipe, Baja, Mexico
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cell phones
I have service through ATT/Cingular and called to extend service range in Mexico. I pay a 5.00 fee monthly plus cost per minute (can't remember what
it is). I was able to get sevice in San Felipe.
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elizabeth
Senior Nomad
Posts: 742
Registered: 7-30-2004
Location: Loreto, BCS
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I have AT&T as well, I get service in Loreto. I pay 5.99 a month, although Cingular says with a new contract it is 3.99 a month...you can go on and
off the monthly. ATT/Cingular has a deal with Telcel...I've gotten service in other parts of Mexico too, including Yucatan. The per minute charge is
high, 99 cents, but you can have people call you and you can call back with your local Mexican prepaid calling cards.
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Anonymous
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W/my Verizon I've made calls from Puerto Santo Tomas, El Rosario, Playa del Carmen and Akumal.
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bajablue
Nomad
Posts: 145
Registered: 2-28-2005
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I have Verizon as well and it has worked as far as Cabo for me... If you have Verizon, hit #228 when you are in the States and it will update roaming
for your phone for you and it's free...
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MrBillM
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 21656
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Out and About
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Mood: It's a Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah Day
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ATT Wireless
My $29.99 mo. Regional plan with ATT Wireless works fine in San Felipe and beyond. I pay NO additional fees. I have yet to get a straight answer on
what that additional 4.99 mo buys.
I also have a Telcel Prepaid phone. Total cost was $40.00 for a Nokia with a credit of 300 pesos airtime. The ATT will work anywhere the Telcel does
since they roam on Telcel's network.
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osoflojo
Nomad
Posts: 378
Registered: 10-29-2004
Location: c.s.l./b.c.s.
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My Cingular plan as mentioned above with the extended package discounts the min charges. I can also call any Mexican number from within Mexico and it
works throught most of the Cabo/La Paz area. I am told (also as mentioned above) that it will work anywhere TelCel has service. Make sure your phone
is compatable with the Mexican part of the system before you leave the US> Good Luck.
[Edited on 3-8-2005 by osoflojo]
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tim40
Senior Nomad
Posts: 574
Registered: 3-29-2004
Location: Manhattan Beach
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Mood: There yet?
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Great information as this partially came up several weeks ago on this board. I have Sprint and supposidly had it set up to work when I was in La Paz
a few weeks ago and it did not. They now tell me they have it fixed and it will work when I go to San Miguel next week week and La Paz in a couple
more weeks...
Does anyone have any specific success from using Sprint in La Paz. In Baja calls, out of Baja and from outside into Baja?
When searching for the end of your rainbow you only have until dusk....
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Worldtraveller
Junior Nomad
Posts: 65
Registered: 11-26-2004
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My cingular cell phone roams in Loreto just fine.
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Mexray
Super Nomad
Posts: 1016
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: California Delta
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Mood: Baja Time
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Sprint doesn't work in Baja...
I've talked with them several times...they don't have agreements with services there...only in Mexico City for now.
ON the advise of others here on the board, we bought a cheap TelCel phone on our last trip down (in Jan/Feb) - you don't have to subscribe to any
plans - you just buy usage cards and punch in the coded number on the card to 'load' your minutes.
We bought our Nokia for $50 US (and it came with $300NP as part of the deal!) at a large department store chain in Ensenada...don't remember the name,
but they have a 'Key' as their logo. I went into the spanish menu on my phone and changed the language to English so I could use it easier (the
printed instructions had 'English' as the 2nd language - that's a switch!).
TelCel phones work in just about all the villages down hwy 1, and more coverage is coming, I'm told. Unfortunately for us it didn't work in Mulege,
but Bruce Leech says cell service is coming this summer there.
These TelCel phones also work above the border here in the US...I've used it up here in Northern Calif. The only bad part is that the 'minutes' you
buy expire in about two months, so don't buy any more that you need.
According to my clock...anytime is \'BAJA TIME\' & as Jimmy Buffett says,
\"It doesn\'t use numbers or moving hands It always just says now...\"
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El Camote
Senior Nomad
Posts: 514
Registered: 9-7-2003
Location: Above the clouds
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Mood: y Blues
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ATT/Cingular
| Quote: | Originally posted by MrBillM
My $29.99 mo. Regional plan with ATT Wireless works fine in San Felipe and beyond. I pay NO additional fees. I have yet to get a straight answer on
what that additional 4.99 mo buys.
I've got the same plan and experience with ATT as MrBillM. I paid a total of $1.29/min. making calls back to California recently which is down from a
high of $1.59/min. I'd be curious what the per minute rate is with the 4.99/mo. plan. |
Knowledge is good. - Emil Faber
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tim40
Senior Nomad
Posts: 574
Registered: 3-29-2004
Location: Manhattan Beach
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Mood: There yet?
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Thank you Mexray. You have 'sold' me. When in La Paz, day one, I am buying one. Trying to keep things going there and states is more than a little
tough when you can not communicate real time.
Was is instantly available or did it take time before it activated?
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Anonymous
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Mexray
These TelCel phones also work above the border here in the US...I've used it up here in Northern Calif. The only bad part is that the 'minutes' you
buy expire in about two months, so don't buy any more that you need. |
Quibble: although it may say that on the cards, at this point they still don't actually expire your credit; it is suspended until you put in some more
prepay funds, --minimum 100 pesos-- at which point you recover your suspended credit. I believe the number assigned to the phone expires if there's
no balance for 6 months, perhaps even if there's no activity on the phone during that period; still haven't got that detail clear. I assume at that
point you actually do lose whatever credit you have.
--Larry
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Mexray
Super Nomad
Posts: 1016
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: California Delta
Member Is Offline
Mood: Baja Time
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Tim40
The young lady at the TelCel booth in the dept store knew what she was doing...she'd took the special 'chip' from the phone package - stuffed it in
the back of the phone, dialed up a number, punched in the special codes...and I was on my way. She told me my phone would work in an hour or so...it
only took about 10 minutes! At any rate, the main thing is, you don't have to come back for your phone...just take it with you and wait for the
connections to be made back at TelCel HQ.
I now feel like a true 'International' big-wig, as I have my own special Ensenada phone number!
Larry - you're probably right about the expiration of the minutes - and your explanation makes more sense...I'm far from TelCel 'literate' on this
issue (and others as well)....
[Edited on 10-3-2005 by Mexray]
According to my clock...anytime is \'BAJA TIME\' & as Jimmy Buffett says,
\"It doesn\'t use numbers or moving hands It always just says now...\"
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tim40
Senior Nomad
Posts: 574
Registered: 3-29-2004
Location: Manhattan Beach
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Mood: There yet?
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Thank you Mexray.
I am with you Pompano. After using a Sat phone (a bit expensive still) and trying to get my US version to work, unfortunately, I do have to be
connnected or don't go...and some how that makes the cell a real easy choice.
When searching for the end of your rainbow you only have until dusk....
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tim40
Senior Nomad
Posts: 574
Registered: 3-29-2004
Location: Manhattan Beach
Member Is Offline
Mood: There yet?
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Just when I think I know it all.....as if.
Are there roaming charges within Baja for a baja acquired tele? What about Mexico mainland? Thanks
When searching for the end of your rainbow you only have until dusk....
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Santiago
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3512
Registered: 8-27-2003
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ATT/Cingular question
I could not access my messages in Baja until I got close enough to the border to be on Cingular's network. I got a message "Due to secruity reasons,
you must retrieve your messages from your phone" - which I was doing?? Anyone get around this issue?
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