BajaNomad

Tel cell vs AT&T

fudscrud - 10-15-2012 at 10:17 AM

I'm looking for a cheap cell phone with minutes loaded on it that I can purchase. Which will have the best coverage for Baja? Also, which has the lowest cost of calls to the U.S.? I would like to purchase in Tecate or San Filipe.
Thanks

Mula - 10-15-2012 at 11:20 AM

Tel Cel and people can call you from the states without deducting minutes from your time.

Also, fairly reasonable to call the states with - for short calls and good reception.

Otherwise Skype or magicJack from the computer.

fudscrud - 10-15-2012 at 02:22 PM

Thanks Mula. How is the texting with Telcel and anybody know where in Tecate to buy the phone package?

Mula - 10-15-2012 at 02:24 PM

Texting is just fine. Very simple.

At the Tel Cel store. They are everywhere!

Alm - 10-15-2012 at 04:31 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by fudscrud
I'm looking for a cheap cell phone with minutes loaded on it that I can purchase. Which will have the best coverage for Baja?

To give yo an idea of "the best coverage", here is the
map for Telcel. Town names will show when you zoom. Don't know how current it is, it says 2012 at the bottom though.

So... It depends where in Baja you are. From TJ to Ensenada - no problem. Cabo area - no problem. Mulege or St Rosa - only in the actual town. Smaller "populated places" or on the road between those places - fat chance.

fudscrud - 10-15-2012 at 04:48 PM

Thanks Alm. I don't think that's going to cut it as I'll spend most of my time inbetween those coverage areas. I may have to buy a used sat phone and an airtime package$$$.

bajajudy - 10-15-2012 at 04:53 PM

If you wind up going the Telcel way, be sure to have your passport with you when you go to buy the phone.

rts551 - 10-15-2012 at 04:55 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Alm
Quote:
Originally posted by fudscrud
I'm looking for a cheap cell phone with minutes loaded on it that I can purchase. Which will have the best coverage for Baja?

To give yo an idea of "the best coverage", here is the
map for Telcel. Town names will show when you zoom. Don't know how current it is, it says 2012 at the bottom though.

So... It depends where in Baja you are. From TJ to Ensenada - no problem. Cabo area - no problem. Mulege or St Rosa - only in the actual town. Smaller "populated places" or on the road between those places - fat chance.



That map is way out of date. doesn't show most of the entral/south baja areas that are now covered. That being said, while most towns are now covered you lose the signal in between them. does La Bay finally have service?

fudscrud - 10-15-2012 at 06:05 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by rts551
Quote:
Originally posted by Alm
Quote:
Originally posted by fudscrud
I'm looking for a cheap cell phone with minutes loaded on it that I can purchase. Which will have the best coverage for Baja?

To give yo an idea of "the best coverage", here is the
map for Telcel. Town names will show when you zoom. Don't know how current it is, it says 2012 at the bottom though.

So... It depends where in Baja you are. From TJ to Ensenada - no problem. Cabo area - no problem. Mulege or St Rosa - only in the actual town. Smaller "populated places" or on the road between those places - fat chance.



That map is way out of date. doesn't show most of the entral/south baja areas that are now covered. That being said, while most towns are now covered you lose the signal in between them. does La Bay finally have service?


Good question...and San Ignacio and San Juanico and San Carlos? I assume the towns larger than these will have coverage.
Is there a current coverage map?

rts551 - 10-15-2012 at 06:57 PM

I know San Ignacio has coverage as does Punta Abreojos. but there is an area in between (about 40 miles) where there is no coverage. For example, where the Baja 1000 course crosses the Abreojos hiway, there is no coverage and we will be using two meter radios.

It is also worth noting, given your original question, all coverage is provided by Telcel. ATT and other carriers must use Telcels communications to provide service.

[Edited on 10-16-2012 by rts551]

Big gap - El Rosario south

thebajarunner - 10-15-2012 at 08:06 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by rts551
Quote:
Originally posted by Alm
Quote:
Originally posted by fudscrud
I'm looking for a cheap cell phone with minutes loaded on it that I can purchase. Which will have the best coverage for Baja?

To give yo an idea of "the best coverage", here is the
map for Telcel. Town names will show when you zoom. Don't know how current it is, it says 2012 at the bottom though.

So... It depends where in Baja you are. From TJ to Ensenada - no problem. Cabo area - no problem. Mulege or St Rosa - only in the actual town. Smaller "populated places" or on the road between those places - fat chance.



That map is way out of date. doesn't show most of the entral/south baja areas that are now covered. That being said, while most towns are now covered you lose the signal in between them. does La Bay finally have service?


LABay had none this spring,
guessing that is still years in the future.
just a guess...

Alm - 10-16-2012 at 12:00 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by rts551
It is also worth noting, given your original question, all coverage is provided by Telcel. ATT and other carriers must use Telcels communications to provide service.

Movistar offers independent service. Limited coverage and usually cheaper then Telcel. In some areas it worked better than Telcel last year.

rts551 - 10-16-2012 at 12:07 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Alm
Quote:
Originally posted by rts551
It is also worth noting, given your original question, all coverage is provided by Telcel. ATT and other carriers must use Telcels communications to provide service.

Movistar offers independent service. Limited coverage and usually cheaper then Telcel. In some areas it worked better than Telcel last year.


yes very true. they are a competitor. but not many people use them here on the central-west coast

[Edited on 10-16-2012 by rts551]

CortezBlue - 10-16-2012 at 04:48 PM

I did not read through all of the posts, but I have used both TelCel and ATT and their is no comparison for my buck.

ATT's Viva plan gives you the same minutes of use in Mexico and USA. No roaming, however, you do have to pay for texting or data.

I think it is about a $15 per month premium. I use to for business when I am at my casa in SF.

My 2 cents

[Edited on 10-17-2012 by CortezBlue]

vgabndo - 10-16-2012 at 09:59 PM

I've had pretty good luck with ATT and some international plan for just a few bucks a month. I turn it on and off as needed. The problem has been that in BCS south of Asuncion, I couldn't call out on TelCel. I could receive calls and texts. The minutes are expensive calling the states. I'll look into Viva.

fudscrud - 10-17-2012 at 08:50 AM

Thanks everyone. I will look into Viva as well. Is there an "at&t store" in San Filipe?
I would like to buy a cheap phone with preloaded minutes on it.

CortezBlue - 10-17-2012 at 09:24 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by fudscrud
Thanks everyone. I will look into Viva as well. Is there an "at&t store" in San Filipe?
I would like to buy a cheap phone with preloaded minutes on it.


No you have to get a phone and service in the USA. Once you get down to San Felipe you will receive TelCell and some time movistar

Depending on where you are in SF, you may want to check with your neighbors and make sure you get a good signal before investing in a 2 year program

Riom - 10-17-2012 at 04:57 PM

No need to commit to a long contract, the AT&T Go Phone (prepaid, pay as you go) also roams on Telcel when in Mexico. It's basically 25c/min in Mexico, 10c/min or $2/day unlimited in the US, and a minimum reload of $25/qtr to keep it active. So, for low users (under half an hour a month), it works out at $8.33/mo to run it.

It's much easier for people in the US to call you on that US number than have them cope with a Mexican mobile number which can be expensive to call. Remember to get the phone in the US before travelling to Mexico, only Telcel / Movistar have stores in San Felipe.

I wrote a bit about this and using other US phones in San Felipe at:
http://www.sanfelipelife.com/post/Using-a-US-cellphone-in-Sa...
(couple of years ago now, but not much has changed, except that Go Phone also works in Canada now and the US rates are different. I'll do an update to that article this winter).

Be aware that the AT&T Go Phone (and the VIVA plan) is for use in a mix of the US and Mexico. If the majority of use is in Mexico over a period of months, they can (and will) terminate service.

For anybody who spends a big chunk of their time in Mexico the advice is still the same as it was back then: also get a Telcel Amigo prepaid phone for mobile use (costs 100 pesos every 2 months to keep active), and use VOIP whenever you have wi-fi for longer calls (or use callback services).

Rob


[Edited on 2012-10-18 by Riom]

fudscrud - 10-18-2012 at 08:59 AM

That's some good info there. Looks like the gophone is the way to go for me. So, I can go down to walmart and buy the gophone with say 200 mins on it with a US phone# and I can call out of Mex useing no country codes, roaming charges, etc. for $.25/min and recieve calls/messages for the same? This sounds perfect.
Still need to figure out what to do in all the remote areas I will be riding in...

Alm - 10-18-2012 at 11:18 AM

Quote:
Still need to figure out what to do in all the remote areas I will be riding in...

It depends on what you mean by "remote". In REALLY remote places there is no other choice but sat phone. Iridium, Isatphone, Globalstar - that would be my order of preference. Isatphone is the cheapest, both handset and prepaid time. In narrow canyons I'd take Iridium over Isat, because of a network structure.

It also depends whether you are "riding in" or "riding through". If it's populated at all, the locals will have some means of communication - short wave radio, donkey or whatever. If you are passing through, spending a lot of time on infrequently traveled road between those remote places - get a sat phone if you can.

If a sat phone is too much dough, and if you plan on some serious off-road travel or serious hiking, get PLB for distress call, hoping to never have to use it. SAR services - or whoever will do it in Baja - can charge you really big money if you use PLB for, say, flat tire when you have lots of food and water and not injured seriously. PLB won't save you much, compared to the cheapest sat phone with prepaid time - may be $200, but it looks more reliable to me, they are usually shock-proof and immersion-proof. It's device for distress call, nothing more. Bush pilots have to carry it under the law.

If you are just going down Hwy1 from A to B, 3 or 4 days for entire peninsula, and then arrive to some place that has either internet or cell coverage or both - a cell phone alone will do.

[Edited on 10-18-2012 by Alm]

Alm - 10-18-2012 at 11:36 AM

double post

[Edited on 10-18-2012 by Alm]

fudscrud - 10-18-2012 at 01:30 PM

"If you are passing through, spending a lot of time on infrequently traveled road between those remote places"

This is what I'll be doing the majority of the time along with some long single track trails that are very remote although I will be in a town or publo each night for a "motel" as I'll be traveling light. It's either an iridium sat phone or a SPOT II. They each have their drawbacks and plusses.

Bajajorge - 10-19-2012 at 08:22 AM

ATT has a Mexico plan that works off TelCel towers. The plan costs around $50-60 month. You get 400 minutes, no roaming, can call the US just using your minutes, and people can call you at no cost. You can also make local Baja calls. The unused minutes rollover month to month.
My ATT phone doesn't work where I live in the US and the minutes build up to a point of having some 4000 minutes when I get to Baja.

fudscrud - 10-19-2012 at 09:55 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bajajorge
ATT has a Mexico plan that works off TelCel towers. The plan costs around $50-60 month. You get 400 minutes, no roaming, can call the US just using your minutes, and people can call you at no cost. You can also make local Baja calls. The unused minutes rollover month to month.
My ATT phone doesn't work where I live in the US and the minutes build up to a point of having some 4000 minutes when I get to Baja.


This sounds like a long term contract which I am not looking for. I really just need the phone for a month. It sounds like the "simple plan" is the way to go. I will be heading to the att store to have a chat with them.

bajarunn - 11-21-2012 at 08:53 PM

Will the ATT go phone work in Mulege? Or should I get a telcel?

fourninerpapa - 11-22-2012 at 06:32 PM

Our AT&T Go Phone works great in Mulege.

unbob - 11-23-2012 at 08:05 PM

A bit OT - does anyone have a link to a Baja area code map?

Specifically, I'd like to know the boundaries of area code 612.

The discount calling on my TelCel Amigo Combinado 20 plan only applies if I place calls from my "home" area code 612. It works fine outside area code 612 but at a substantially higher rate.

Gracias, Rob

Cities in Area Code 612 (and all of Mexico)

unbob - 11-24-2012 at 08:08 AM

OK, did not find a map but did find a list of all Mexico area codes by city here.

Hook - 11-24-2012 at 08:17 AM

We've been on an ATT go phone and a Telcel "go phone" for about four years now. Most of what Riom states is what we experience. We DO pay for incoming calls, no matter where they are from. 25 cents per minute. 10 cents per minute to check voicemail, etc.

With our ATT go phone, it only sees the US about two consecutive months each year. The other 10 are in Mexico. No cancellation for us. Probably 95% of our total calls on the ATT phone are originated or received in Mexico.

unbob - 11-25-2012 at 08:04 AM

My last call to the US (from La Paz) on my Telcel Amigo Combinado 20 plan cost 3.7 cents (usd) per minute. Why pay more?