BajaNomad

Is there any cell phone coverage in BOLA?

bowser - 9-4-2016 at 09:49 AM

I have a friend who is planning to build in BOLA and he asked if it would be worthwhile to extend his cell coverage to include MX.

We get by with Skype when we are there and I have always thought there was not any cell phone coverage.

What I don't understand though is that most of the younger Mexicans in town are walking around with cell phones. Are those just placebos or can they actually talk to people on them? I have never thought to ask my Mexican friends when we are there.

Thanks in advance, Nomads. You are the fount of all knowledge BAJA.

fdt - 9-4-2016 at 10:18 AM

I was there in February and no, still no cel phone service but now there are land lines, the area code is 200.

Ass for the kids with cell phones (smartphones) is for many reasons; selfies, pictures and video and with WiFi facebook and very important and most popular in México is Whatsapp.

http://www.webwise.ie/parents/explainer-whatsapp/

David K - 9-4-2016 at 10:26 AM

El Rosario on the Pacific side and Punta Estrella (south end of San Felipe Bay) on the gulf are the last cell towers. That's over 150 miles from L.A. Bay.

larryC - 9-4-2016 at 12:51 PM

Some people are using their smart phones to receive voip calls as long as they have internet service.

willardguy - 9-4-2016 at 01:08 PM

Quote: Originally posted by larryC  
Some people are using their smart phones to receive voip calls as long as they have internet service.


so folks in town get their internet connection over land lines?

Udo - 9-4-2016 at 01:09 PM

What will they think of next?

Ateo - 9-4-2016 at 01:15 PM

Always trip when you get cell coverage from from towers........I was in San Juanico last week and was able to make a phone call to my daughter after dinner one evening.

fdt - 9-4-2016 at 02:31 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
WiFi connected to telephone line Internet (remember "dial-up"?).


How else?
It's either a phone line or a cable line. How do you get internet at your home or business David?
I guess a microwave signal with antenna would work.

fdt - 9-4-2016 at 02:45 PM

But it's not dialup. How do you get internet?

DENNIS - 9-4-2016 at 03:04 PM


Hola Ferna. Glad to see you're still hangin' in here.

fdt - 9-4-2016 at 03:05 PM

Quote: Originally posted by willardguy  
Quote: Originally posted by larryC  
Some people are using their smart phones to receive voip calls as long as they have internet service.


so folks in town get their internet connection over land lines?


Yes, and you can get different packages w/phone and high speed internet up to 200mbps

fdt - 9-4-2016 at 03:09 PM

Quote: Originally posted by DENNIS  

Hola Ferna. Glad to see you're still hangin' in here.

Hola Dennis mi amigo:yes:

willardguy - 9-4-2016 at 03:12 PM

Quote: Originally posted by fdt  
Quote: Originally posted by willardguy  
Quote: Originally posted by larryC  
Some people are using their smart phones to receive voip calls as long as they have internet service.


so folks in town get their internet connection over land lines?


Yes, and you can get different packages w/phone and high speed internet up to 200mbps


:O 200Mbps! I get like 5 in rosarito! is Carlos running a book operation in BoLA?

fdt - 9-4-2016 at 03:25 PM

Quote: Originally posted by willardguy  
Quote: Originally posted by fdt  
Quote: Originally posted by willardguy  
Quote: Originally posted by larryC  
Some people are using their smart phones to receive voip calls as long as they have internet service.


so folks in town get their internet connection over land lines?


Yes, and you can get different packages w/phone and high speed internet up to 200mbps


:O 200Mbps! I get like 5 in rosarito! is Carlos running a book operation in BoLA?

5? If you're with telnor you should at least get 10, I don't know about the cable company. Large businesses get the 200 and the more you get the more you pay Carlos.
Telnor is Baja California and parts of Sonora but Carlos purchased Telmex, wich is Baja Californnia Sur and the rest of México before Telnor.

David K - 9-4-2016 at 03:29 PM

Thanks for posting on Nomad, Fernando!
Yes, not dial up today but comes in via phone lines like dial up did, yes? Just trying for digestible explanation. Gracias!

fdt - 9-4-2016 at 03:44 PM

Oh, ok.
And maybe having written "(remember switchboard operators)" would have been even more digestible. :rolleyes:

woody with a view - 9-4-2016 at 04:45 PM

the place next to Lizeth has internet for 20 pesos a day. there are other places that are connected as well. seems like microwave or satellite, there are no other options!

[Edited on 9-4-2016 by woody with a view]

TMW - 9-4-2016 at 07:09 PM

The Costa del Sol has WiFi, I assume it is satellite.

rts551 - 9-4-2016 at 07:43 PM

Maybe this will help you out David.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_subscriber_line

rts551 - 9-4-2016 at 07:45 PM

Quote: Originally posted by TMW  
The Costa del Sol has WiFi, I assume it is satellite.
We stay there during the race in Feb. It is a DSL connection to a modem then Wi FI through out the hotel.

fdt - 9-4-2016 at 07:46 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
Didn't everyone who got on the Internet before 2000 have Dial Up, like AOL?



Not everyone, I had internet access by microwave for the hotels in Rosarito before 2000.
Quote: Originally posted by David K  


Can you explain how the Internet gets to L.A. Bay, and to smart phones there, please?


No, I can not explain how internet gets to LA Bay, I don't know if they buried optics or if it's by satellite, but no one asked that question. Now from there to smartphones is easy, WiFi.

Now, for the third time David how do you get internet to your home of business?

rts551 - 9-4-2016 at 07:50 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
Quote: Originally posted by rts551  
Maybe this will help you out David.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_subscriber_line


I asked if there are telephone lines into L.A. Bay, not what DSL is (which needs a telephone line).


Never mind then.

rts551 - 9-4-2016 at 07:54 PM

Quote: Originally posted by fdt  
I was there in February and no, still no cel phone service but now there are land lines, the area code is 200.

Ass for the kids with cell phones (smartphones) is for many reasons; selfies, pictures and video and with WiFi facebook and very important and most popular in México is Whatsapp.

http://www.webwise.ie/parents/explainer-whatsapp/


Thank Ferna for explaining there are land lines.

fdt - 9-4-2016 at 08:02 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
[/rquote]

When did you ask me about my service?
If it matters, from the cable company DSL over the phone lines/ cable lines.


After you posted your digestible dial up term. But in any case I see that you get internet the same way they get it in LA Bay, funny.
Now that you sent me back to re read how many times I actually asked you, I see that you deleted some of your posts. That does not make you a man of your words.

David K - 9-5-2016 at 12:52 AM

When my posts are quoted, there is no need to have them seen here twice. Helping the thread stay clean of duplications. Sorry for the language barrier.

basautter - 9-5-2016 at 03:53 AM

DeLorme makes a device that can send/receive satellite messages. Works great in Baja!

http://12tomatoes.com/spinach-bacon-spag-squash/?utm_source=...

Alm - 9-6-2016 at 12:50 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
How are they getting land line phone numbers or are they?
Ferna told Willard (above) that they are getting Internet over land lines.

I think it's satellite. If there was a landline, very few would run internet or phone over satellite. How they are getting land line numbers, puzzles me.

bkbend - 9-6-2016 at 04:35 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Alm  
Quote: Originally posted by David K  
How are they getting land line phone numbers or are they?
Ferna told Willard (above) that they are getting Internet over land lines.

I think it's satellite. If there was a landline, very few would run internet or phone over satellite. How they are getting land line numbers, puzzles me.


Well, I don't normally throw out 2nd (or 3rd/4th) hand information but since everything so far is speculation or misinformation I may as well add to the confusion. The rumor: the telco does have a limited number of numbers in town. I don't know if it copper, fiber, or microwave relay back to a central office but a few places have a real phone. The story I heard was that after all the problems CFE had getting electricity set up the telco didn't want to mess with making phones available to all, or maybe they thought cell would be there by now and no need to invest in an obsolete technology. I've also heard cell service would be there by now but I don't put much stock in that rumor until I see it.

I'm pretty sure all internet is via satellite, and you can use a cell phone over a wi-fi connection which several places in town have available. They all have dishes and incredibly slow internet service due to overuse.

If they don't have fiber into town and a central telco office I don't think they can do DSL over twisted copper for internet. Copper doesn't cut it for high-speed data. Or, maybe that's why things are so slow, with copper telco line coming into town you would have dialup modem speed.

Back to Bowsers original question -- if cell service isn't there when your buddy's house is finished have him contact LarryC here for satellite service info and he can use his cell phone through that. Or MagicJack or any other VOIP service. Works perfectly through Exede.

Alm - 9-6-2016 at 05:33 PM

Landline with limited bandwidth would be a plausible explanation indeed.

To add to the confusion ;), satellite service through Exede isn't quite there yet, i.e. legally and technically, according to the Exede. Their bird for Mexico and Latin America will be launched "later this year", no further details announced. Not to say that there is no Exede reception in BOLA.

larryC - 9-6-2016 at 06:18 PM

Exede works pretty well in Bahia, you just have to give them an Arizona address, the beam that services Arizona stretches all the way down into baja. The town gets their internet from 2 places, the cheapest is from Guerro Negro by radio wave and repeaters in the hills above town. the second way is by satellite from a Mexican bird, that is what the long distance phone store uses. Most gringos and a few Mexicans in town are using Exede and a few people are using Hughes net. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

bkbend - 9-6-2016 at 08:20 PM

Thanks Larry. I'll go back to not repeating anything I don't see for myself.

larryC - 9-7-2016 at 09:26 AM

Quote: Originally posted by bkbend  
Thanks Larry. I'll go back to not repeating anything I don't see for myself.


Actually your info was correct enough at least for a town this size.
Larry

Alm - 9-7-2016 at 02:37 PM

I would rather see "more internet" than more cell, in BOLA. Better/easier/cheaper, whatever. Fiber optic would've been ideal. In this village you're never more than few miles from home, and there you have internet and can add VOIP phone.

Cell isn't really a substitute for internet, wireless data plans over 5-6 GB a month are ridiculously expensive. With video streaming services like Netflix you need at least 60 GB a month.

Other than teenagers with their constant urge to socialize, be seen and heard, who even needs a cell in this town? :)

bowser - 9-7-2016 at 08:24 PM

Thanks to all who replied. As usual I learned a bunch from all of you.

I will make sure my friend meets Larry C. and tell him to not bother with Mx cell phone coverage.


woody with a view - 9-8-2016 at 05:58 AM

I like reminding my boss that i'll be off grid without cell or internet. They just shake their heads in disbelief! Hey, it's why we go.

Doug/Vamonos - 9-16-2016 at 06:31 AM

Larry is the KING of knowledge in LA Bay. We all go to him when we have a question about practically anything. Yes, several restaurants, hotels, and lots of town folk have internet service. It is all sat based as far as I know. Several of my neighbors use Excede. It works fine. I find the best way to communicate is for both parties to send iMessage texts on their iPhones or Mac computers. It works just like a text message, is instantaneous, and doesn't rely on cell towers.