BajaNomad - phone reception in Baja

phone reception in Baja

zach4 - 1-21-2014 at 12:26 AM

Hi,

I consider asking T-mobile to open my phone so I will be able to make calls in Baja.
Is there reception in many regions of Baja so it will be worthwhile?

thanks..

BajaNomad - 1-21-2014 at 01:07 AM

Here's a coverage map from the T-mobile site:
http://q87.us/tmobile-mexico2014

If that doesn't work, go here and select Mexico from the drop down box:
http://www.t-mobile.com/International/RoamingOverview.aspx?t...

I traveled from San Diego to La Paz and back earlier this month and found the coverage to be inconsistent - with both the cell/text and/or the data coverage. When it worked, it was great. There's a lot to still be improved upon however.

Most of the T-mobile coverage in Baja is through Movistar.

sequoyah - 1-21-2014 at 10:02 AM

Despite both companies using TelCel towers, we have found that AT&T provides much better coverage than Verizon.

But I don't know about T-Mobile.

Service is pretty good in cities, but between cities it can disappear long periods of time.

dasubergeek - 1-21-2014 at 11:48 AM

This is because Verizon only allows the use of Telcel's old CDMA towers, which are only in Tijuana, Rosarito, central Ensenada and parts of other cities further south. AT&T uses Telcel's much more built-out GSM towers. Even if you have a GSM-enabled phone, like an iPhone, Verizon will not permit you to roam on GSM towers, which means you're stuck if you're in Tecate or the Valle de Guadalupe.

(CDMA and GSM are competing cell phone communication technologies.)

mtgoat666 - 1-21-2014 at 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dasubergeek
This is because Verizon only allows the use of Telcel's old CDMA towers, which are only in Tijuana, Rosarito, central Ensenada and parts of other cities further south. AT&T uses Telcel's much more built-out GSM towers. Even if you have a GSM-enabled phone, like an iPhone, Verizon will not permit you to roam on GSM towers, which means you're stuck if you're in Tecate or the Valle de Guadalupe.

(CDMA and GSM are competing cell phone communication technologies.)

thats what i heard.
i also heard you can use your vz handset in mexico if you remove vz sim card and insert telcel sim card, and you will be able to use gsm (assuming you got gsm capable phone).
i have never tried this, but curious if anyone has tried it with iphone???

pauldavidmena - 1-21-2014 at 01:26 PM

I'm currently in Pescadero and have had no trouble using my U.S. T-Mobile phone. Between Cabo and Pescadero, reception was spotty to non-existent. Data speeds here are 2G at best, although I was getting consistently brisk 4G speeds up in Todos Santos.

dasubergeek - 1-21-2014 at 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mtgoat666

Quote:

Only Verizon iPhone 5, 5c and 5s work this way out of the box. The issue is that you will need to get a nano-SIM from Telcel, or else take the very brave chance of cutting down a Telcel SIM yourself. Telcel will sell you a SIM only, but not immediately; they have to take your passport copy (no, SENTRI card will not work) and fax it to Mexico City for approval. Be very careful switching nano-SIM cards as there is no room for you to err like on a normal SIM; there is no part of the card that is not metal contact on one side.

aster - 1-21-2014 at 08:50 PM

If you have the T-Mobile "Simple Choice" plan (I think it's the most common these days) you can do USA calls in many foreign countries including Mexico for free. I believe local Mexican calls were 20 cents per minute. Data was unlimited.

There's actually no action required to enable this feature for that plan, but I did call to verify I indeed had the right one so not to get hammered with roaming charges.

It worked pretty well, as BajaNomad says through Movistar. Outside of the towns it was nonexistent as you might expect, though most settled places service was ok (don't expect 4G speeds though). Was definitely a nice convenience on our trip.

zach4 - 1-21-2014 at 10:53 PM

thanks!