BajaNomad

Cell Phones in Baja

DonBaja - 3-29-2007 at 12:29 PM

I have used all of the search options on this site and from what I can gather it sounds like options for cell phone service down the Baja Peninsula is limited to a couple of sources. One is to buy a TelCel phone as I cross the border and prepay for the amount of minutes I want. The other is to change my cell service from Verizon to Cingular and get a tri-band or quadband phone and pick up the telcel signal and pay a higher per minute charge. And finally rent a satellite phone and pay even more per minute. Since I currently don't have a contract with Verizon I'm thinking about making the switch to Cingular and getting a quadband phone.

Is anyone else using Cingular in Baja and how do you like the service ?

Pompano - 3-29-2007 at 12:38 PM

DonBaja...my neighbor in Coyote Bay (just south of Mulege) uses a Cingular cellphone and says it works fine when he is in or near the town's new tower. However, it will not work this far away from that tower (about 10 air miles and lots hills), so he still uses VIOP Crystalvoice via satellite internet like we do when at home.

elizabeth - 3-29-2007 at 02:01 PM

I have a cingular account that is activated for Mexico. I use it in Loreto. I pay 4.99 a month extra, and calls are .59 a minute. My phone is just a regular old free with a two year contract phone.

You will have problems getting a signal anywhere outside of cities. There is a telcel coverage map on the cingular website.

SiReNiTa - 3-29-2007 at 06:54 PM

yep you can either buy the phone and get telcel wich is not that expensive depending on what phone you buy...there are pretty cheap ones that come with a chip andabout 300 min. or a little more on them and the cost of the whole package is about 40 dlls. at the least
depending on what kind of cell phone you want!

bajarich - 3-29-2007 at 08:08 PM

I just got back from 2 months in the East Cape area. I have a Cingular phone and signed up for their "World Plan", which is 5.99/month. I was able to talk on Mex 1 down to Ensenada and again picked up service in San Quintin. After that I didn't get a signal until the Vizcaino area. I had service in San Ignacio, Santa Rosalita, Mulege and Loreto areas and again in Consitiucion. Once in Lapaz, I was surprised that there is pretty good coverage all along Mex 1 at El Triumfo and San Antonio, Los Barriles, La Ribira, down to San Jose, Cabo, and back to Lapaz on Highway 19.

It cost 59 cents per minute, but what they didn't tell me is that my bill showed an 8 cents per minute charge that the mexican government added to it, making it 67 cents per minute.

Since I was camped on the East Cape Road, I had to drive or ride my bike the 10 miles out on the dirt road to where I could pick up the signal from the tower at La Ribira. I would have to have driven another 10 miles at least to use a calling card in a pay phone. Next year I'll probably use the ladatel card if I am in a town where I can, and save the calls on the cell phone for when I'm not near a payphone but still can get a signal. The calling card also helps limit your calls. The cell phone is too easy to talk too long and run up a big bill.

akbear - 3-29-2007 at 08:30 PM

I have a few questions about cell service. Could you buy or unlock one cell phone and just switch out the sim cards to get service both places as you cross the border ? I'll be retireing in May & moving from Fairbanks to Buena Vista & Lawson Valley in SanDiego near Jumal on Hi way 94. Could I use the Telcel phone in US ? Only 25 miles from Tecate. Have to go there to get fuel for my F-250 anyway.

akbear

oxxo - 3-29-2007 at 09:00 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by SiReNiTa
yep you can either buy the phone and get telcel wich is not that expensive depending on what phone you buy...there are pretty cheap ones that come with a chip andabout 300 min. or a little more on them and the cost of the whole package is about 40 dlls. at the least
depending on what kind of cell phone you want!


I just purchased a Telcel phone. I got the least expensive phone with a prepaid plan. The phone is a Motorola #115. The cost of the phone was 350 pesos. But they also included 300 pesos of airtime. So the net cost of the phone was 50 pesos, or about $5 US. With the prepaid plan, there is no monthly contract charge. You can purchase airtime in 100, 200, and 500 peso amounts as you need them. The airtime is approximately 31 cents a minute in your local calling area.

I believe this plan beats anything that the US phone companies can offer.

fishbuck - 5-1-2007 at 02:23 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by oxxo
Quote:
Originally posted by SiReNiTa
yep you can either buy the phone and get telcel wich is not that expensive depending on what phone you buy...there are pretty cheap ones that come with a chip andabout 300 min. or a little more on them and the cost of the whole package is about 40 dlls. at the least
depending on what kind of cell phone you want!


I just purchased a Telcel phone. I got the least expensive phone with a prepaid plan. The phone is a Motorola #115. The cost of the phone was 350 pesos. But they also included 300 pesos of airtime. So the net cost of the phone was 50 pesos, or about $5 US. With the prepaid plan, there is no monthly contract charge. You can purchase airtime in 100, 200, and 500 peso amounts as you need them. The airtime is approximately 31 cents a minute in your local calling area.

I believe this plan beats anything that the US phone companies can offer.


This sounds like the phone I want. How's the service? I need it for my trips to SQ but might need it for going farther south too. How's the coverage between Ensenada and SQ?

osoflojo - 5-1-2007 at 05:08 AM

I got rid of my telcel years ago, it was not worth it. If you can get the right Cingular plan (and they do change from time to time) you are miles ahead especially if you want to use it on both sides. I have an old plan that is apparently no longer offered but I pay $0.00 for any calls in Mexico local or long distance as long as I stay within my minutes. Keep researching and you may be suprised what you can find.

DianaT - 5-1-2007 at 08:10 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by akbear
I have a few questions about cell service. Could you buy or unlock one cell phone and just switch out the sim cards to get service both places as you cross the border ? I'll be retireing in May & moving from Fairbanks to Buena Vista & Lawson Valley in SanDiego near Jumal on Hi way 94. Could I use the Telcel phone in US ? Only 25 miles from Tecate. Have to go there to get fuel for my F-250 anyway.

akbear


T-Mobile told me that since we have been good clients---I guess because we pay our bills :lol: that if we request it, they will give us the unlock code so that we can change the sim card.

There is a TelCel store here in Imperial Beach, so I intend to check it out here.

Diane

Oh- the same "customer care" person also told me that with my regular T-Mobil account, we could use it in Baja at $1.34 a minute. Turned it on everywhere and no signal---cross the border and gone.

Also, where you are moving, check to see if you will have cell phone coverage---I lose it in that area, but T-Mobile does not have good coverage.

[Edited on 5-1-2007 by jdtrotter]