BajaNomad - Loreto Cell Phone service

Loreto Cell Phone service

TLBaja79 - 4-26-2023 at 09:09 AM

I know there is a thread on here asking about cell phone providers in Loreto.

Over the last year we have used Verizon which worked great all over Baja and especially in Loreto
Then we switched to T Mobile which worked great all over Baja and especially in Loreto
Then we had to switch to AT&T and only visited Loreto on this recent trip and it was barely usable. I can't speak for other parts of Baja but AT&T in Loreto was extremely slow when it worked for calls, texts often didn't go through and data was hardly usable.

Android and iPhone

Didn't think I'd get to try out 3 different providers over the past year but we did and thats our experience.

TLBaja79 - 4-26-2023 at 10:10 AM

The main screen on top would say Telcel with Verizon/TMobile.

AT&T still said AT&T on the top of the screen as it does in the states. Looking in settings in sim manager it would say Telcel when in Loreto.

surabi - 4-26-2023 at 10:22 AM

A guest I had had paid her phone provider in Denver $40 to be able to use her phone while in Mexico. She couldn't get it to work and she showed me the settings info her provider had given her, where I saw that they were partnered with the Movistar network in Mexico, which doesn't get reception where I live.

AKgringo - 4-26-2023 at 12:21 PM

There is a difference in quality of service between ATT contract plans, and pre-paid plans. Other carriers using ATT towers also are treated to the lower level of service.

I use the pre-paid plan, and on my last trip SOB (Sept/Oct) I found that service in Baja Sur was better than I expected, and ATTMex came up as the provider. In other areas where I was roaming on Telcel the service was worse than I had experienced in the past.

I really don't use my phone much, so my experience may not be relevant for someone who uses a lot of data.

RFClark - 4-26-2023 at 01:37 PM

We’ve used them all and because Telcel owns Tmobile they offer the best and cheapest (prepaid) plan. It works everywhere Telcel has service.

[Edited on 4-26-2023 by RFClark]

elgatoloco - 4-26-2023 at 04:45 PM

We were in Loreto a few weeks ago and had ok service with AT&T. We have the standard worldwide roaming unlimited data plan from USA.

Telcel in the US

AKgringo - 4-28-2023 at 09:04 AM

A couple of years ago, my brother-in-law bought a Telcel burner phone at the K-Mart in Grass Valley CA. I don't know whose cell towers they were using for service, but it worked OK until he lost or broke the phone.

RFClark - 4-28-2023 at 09:15 AM

Telcel (American Movil) uses T-Mobile towers among others in the US. Back in 2015 Slim (Telcel/American Movil) was talking about buying T-Mobile it’s unclear if he has an interest in it through some controlled company.

RFClark - 4-28-2023 at 07:04 PM

L,

The implication is that the tie is through American Movil which uses T-Mobile among others in the US. 2+ million mostly illegals use it in the US. It’s a huge cash cow!

BajaMama - 4-29-2023 at 05:48 PM

For me AT&T is spotty in Baja, not terrible but doesn't really adapt to data use - always says I have five bars but nada happens. The best place I have used AT&T in Mexico was in the Yucatan and Palenque Chiapas areas.

defrag4 - 6-27-2023 at 02:29 AM

ATT/ATT MX has no tower in Loreto so roams on Telcel, which is heavily throttled/deprioritized now that they are competitors, miserable 3G speeds at best

works great in La Paz or further south, or up in Ensenada where att mx has towers

wish att mx would install a tower in Loreto!

Telcel is still king everywhere

[Edited on 6-27-2023 by defrag4]

mtgoat666 - 6-27-2023 at 05:14 PM

Quote: Originally posted by defrag4

ATT/ATT MX has no tower in Loreto so roams on Telcel, which is heavily throttled/deprioritized now that they are competitors, miserable 3G speeds at best

works great in La Paz or further south, or up in Ensenada where att mx has towers

wish att mx would install a tower in Loreto!

Telcel is still king everywhere

[Edited on 6-27-2023 by defrag4]

I suppose if you live in Mexico then telcel would be the vendor to get. As a vacation traveler, I am fine with ATT service. On vacation I don’t really care about phone reception, don’t need it and can get by without constant umbilical cord connection.

Talking with friends, it appears that t-mobile works about as well as att, and offers cheaper plans.
These days we have wifi on job sites, so I am no longer concerned about reception for work. And for traveling, any carrier works in cities and suburbs and major highways. I long ago quit wanting reception on the fringes of developed civilization, can get by without a phone in undeveloped areas.

defrag4 - 6-28-2023 at 11:42 PM

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666

Quote: Originally posted by defrag4

i use telcel as my primary phone, but have an unlimited ATT data USA hotspot for work, it works great in larger cities, rural areas not so much

luckily you can tether off a telcel phone to your computer, unlimited data for 2 hours for 15pesos, telcel 4g usually works better than whatever hotel/airbnb/friends house internet connection