BajaNomad

Cell Phones

desertcpl - 9-14-2010 at 08:47 AM

question, does any one have any experience with Verizon

we are planning on going to Mulege will be spending some time there,, and I will need my cell phone with me, business matters,
we have Verizon at this time, we will go in today and inquire about there Mexico plan,,

any one have any suggestions?

john68 - 9-14-2010 at 08:52 AM

check out AT&T's Viva Mexico plan--it's very reasonable.

Our reception in Los Barriles is OK, not great.

GO Phoning

MrBillM - 9-14-2010 at 09:19 AM

The BEST U.S. Phone for communicating with the U.S. IF you're in the coverage area, in my opinion, is the ATT GO-Phone. Depends on usage, of course, since the domestic per-minute charge is higher. A Flat 25 Cents per minute, U.S. or Mexico. Coverage is the key since the GO phone map for Mex and Baja is different (less inclusive) from the other ATT plans. Check their website. A $25 card has a 90-day life after installation so monthly cost is under $9.00 depending on usage.

When the Telcel brouhaha came up, I bought a GO-Phone as a Backup in Mex since my H2O prepaid ($.09 minute) services didn't work in Mex.

Even though all worked out with Telcel, I've been keeping the backup. It has the added advantage of being an anonymous phone and I've been using it lately when you have to leave a number with vendors, etc. Keeps them off my regular home Landline or cell phones.

GSM (Att, etc) Trumps CDMA (Verizon) service in Mexico overall, it seems.

[Edited on 9-14-2010 by MrBillM]

BAJA.DESERT.RAT - 9-14-2010 at 10:45 AM

Hola, if you're a businessperson, you must be carrying a laptop ? if so, sign up to skype and you can call from mexico for about 2 cents a minute and you can recharge your account with a m/c.

i have good reception but occasionally, there is a blip and have used it from los barriles and points north coming and going.

i also have just a regular ATT&T account from los angeles and the reception is very good but the cost is $ 1.00 a minute. obviously, i rarely use it and only when i can't get wifi.

BIEN SALUD, DA RAT

BMG - 9-14-2010 at 04:15 PM

I never saw a signal on our Verizon phone anywhere between Ensenada and La Paz.

Howard - 9-14-2010 at 06:57 PM

My vote is for AT&T with the Viva Mexico plan.

BooJumMan - 9-14-2010 at 07:18 PM

I just bought an AT&T Go Phone before my last trip, and was stoked. I am a Verizon customer, but Verizon does not get service after Ensenada.

AT&T phone will pretty much get full service the length of Baja. I didn't hear of the Viva Mexio plan when I got mine, but I got the $25 plan and calling from Mexico is 25 cents a minute, so thats only 100 minutes, but is good enough for me. Also the phone was only $30.

thanks

desertcpl - 9-14-2010 at 08:48 PM

well this is what we will be doing, ATT for sure, the Mx plan.

I did go into Verizon this afternoon,, got a map up on the coverage of MX,, they do cover alot of main land around Mexico City,, but nothing at all that I could see in Baja

thanks for the input

Ken/Jane

redhilltown - 9-16-2010 at 11:46 PM

Good decision!! Verizon sucks in Baja!!!!

ATT GO Phone Update ?

MrBillM - 10-12-2010 at 05:37 PM

FYI

Just bought another GO phone from Walmart for my Stepson. Same model Nokia that I had bought.

$19.95 includes $15.00 air time AND the calling (in the U.S. at least) is 10 cents per minute instead of 25. Can't say if it's different for Mex since he'll never use it there. My existing phone still charges at the 25 cent rate even in the U.S.

HOWEVER, I also found that the "Anonymous" phone registration was no longer available. The included brochure showed the same procedure, But when I tried it, it directed me to either Call their Customer line or sign up on the Internet. Either method REQUIRED Name and Address.

I suppose they're responding to the Hue and Cry over anonymous use and the threat that Congress is going to pass legislation.

No problem, I just made up phony information and it worked fine.

MitchMan - 10-12-2010 at 11:14 PM

Use a quad band phone and get a mexican simm or buy a Mexican cell from telcel and get the prepaid plan if you stay in one city in the baja. Calls from that Mexican city to USA are 11 pesos for ten minute blocks and only a few pesos per minute to call a local cell or local land line. When you buy telcel phone credit, if you pay 200 pesos, you get 260 pesos of credit.

Using a prepaid plan prevents you from getting humungous unexpected bills as opposed to having a regular phone account where you are charged for what ever you actually use. The problem with that is that one never really knows exactly what all the various charges are as phone companies change their rates without noticeand phone personel are seldom completely in the know on their own rates and give you bad rate info.

Telcel Credit

MrBillM - 10-13-2010 at 09:35 AM

Be aware that the 60 bonus pesos on Telcel 200 peso cards is LOCAL time only. I found that out when I couldn't call the U.S. and it "appeared" I had plenty of time, but it was mostly accumulated bonus minutes.

capitolkat - 10-13-2010 at 01:28 PM

I have the verizon plan. It's a US number and it rings in Mex. I used it earlier this month for several days in La Paz and folks just called my Michigan number and it rang in La Paz. 450 per month minutes and I can call back to the states on my minutes- no extra charges. The Mexico plan covers all of Baja as I used it between La Paz and Cabo and in Cabo at the airport just to check it. It was the best for me as no one has to pay roaming or international charges and I didn't need a laptop or use any of the magic jack or Skype connections. 4 bars everwhere. Norm

MitchMan - 10-13-2010 at 08:11 PM

Mr Billm is right. Bonus telcel minutes can only be used for local calls and not on long distance calls to the USA. Still a good deal, though.

Riom - 10-13-2010 at 08:21 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by capitolkat
I have the verizon plan. It's a US number and it rings in Mex. ... The Mexico plan covers all of Baja as I used it between La Paz and Cabo and in Cabo at the airport just to check it.


The coverage of IUSAcell (which is Verizon and Sprint's roaming partner in Mexico) is very limited in Baja outside of a few main cities (which, luckily, is where you were!). A list of the places covered is at
http://www.iusacell.com.mx/New_Site/411/ingles/

Rob

amirravon - 10-16-2010 at 12:40 AM

Is anybody know how is the AT&T reception in San Jose Del Cabo marina ?

Riom - 10-16-2010 at 10:08 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by amirravon
Is anybody know how is the AT&T reception in San Jose Del Cabo marina ?


In Mexico, AT&T roams on Telcel, and (not AT&T prepaid) Movistar. So it's the coverage of those networks, especially Telcel, that you need.

Neither has detailed coverage maps online, but here's a Telcel coverage map from GSMworld (purple areas are claimed coverage:



Looks like they take boating coverage seriously, so you'd expect coverage in the Marina, looks good from the map.

More about using US phones in Mexico (San Felipe specific, but much of it applies to other areas):
http://www.sanfelipelife.com/post/Using-a-US-cellphone-in-Sa...


Rob

[Edited on 2010-10-16 by Riom]

Pompano - 10-16-2010 at 10:20 AM

Going to Wal-Mart now for my AT&T Go Phone and Mexico cards.

Ain't WalMart grand?

Riom - 10-16-2010 at 10:37 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Pompano
Going to Wal-Mart now for my AT&T Go Phone and Mexico cards.


AT&T Go Phone includes Mexico. No separate Mexico card needed.

Rob

kiterkip - 10-17-2010 at 08:36 AM

So let me get this straight....
If I purchase a Telcel or other prepaid Mexico based phone while on my drive south (like in Loreto), will it be "local" to only Loreto?
My travel plan is to drive the Baja, and then take the ferry across to the mainland for a 4 month stay.
Would like to have the best plan for my primary destination of Manzanillo. I plan on many calls to locals in Manzanillo after my long drive south, but would still like the security of phone service during the drive.

MitchMan - 10-17-2010 at 12:20 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by kiterkip
So let me get this straight....
If I purchase a Telcel or other prepaid Mexico based phone while on my drive south (like in Loreto), will it be "local" to only Loreto?


That is correct. You can make (and receive) calls outside of the local area, but those calls that you make will not be cheap. I don't know what the exact per minute rate is (really hard to get accurate info on this).

THANKS RIOM

amirravon - 10-20-2010 at 12:59 AM

THE BEST PLAN FOR MX. from at&t web




Question:
Can I as a GoPhone subscriber use my service off the AT&T network?
Answer:
You will be able to use your service only in Mexico on the Telcel network. You are automatically set up with the ability to use your GoPhone voice and data service throughout Mexico.



Voice or DATA Type Cost
Outbound Local Call $0.25 per minute
Outbound Long Distance Call $0.25 per minute
Inbound Calls
(Local and Long Distance) $0.25 per minute
Data Usage (GPRS and some IM) $0.0195/KB for Non-Event Billed GPRS
Text Messages/Instant Messages $0.50/ Text Message or Instant Message sent from device
Picture/Video Messaging $1.30/Picture/Video Message sent from the device

Note: The $0.25 per minute charge includes the $0.17 Mexican government charge for calls to Mexico numbers.

Riom - 10-20-2010 at 02:00 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by amirravon
THANKS RIOM

THE BEST PLAN FOR MX. from at&t web

Question:
Can I as a GoPhone subscriber use my service off the AT&T network?
Answer:
You will be able to use your service only in Mexico on the Telcel network. You are automatically set up with the ability to use your GoPhone voice and data service throughout Mexico.


Thanks for finding confirmation the AT&T prepaid only roams on Telcel (good enough for most people, but AT&T contracts also roam on Movistar). I've updated my article to reflect this:

http://www.sanfelipelife.com/post/Using-a-US-cellphone-in-Sa...

Rob