the_lochsa
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Posts: 7
Registered: 2-24-2004
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Cell Phones, Internet, and Calls to US in Baja
We're planning on spending a few months in La Paz this fall, and were wondering about how we can best stay in touch with our friends and family back
home. Here's what we have surmised from web research. Please add or correct any of this information as everything has been investigated remotely and
those who live down in BCS surely have better information than this.
Internet: Internet cafes can be found in most small towns, and sometimes they have Ethernet or WiFi hookups available for laptops. The University in
La Paz also has some facilities. Dial-up Internet is also a possibility. Telmex offers Prodigy por Minuto is 15 centavos(!) for each minute or less
than a dollar an hour prepaid, and in most cases you should get 40Kbps or above speed. DSL is becoming more and more available, but still requires
patience and long-term contracts.
Landline Telephone: dialing back to the US still seems very pricy, with prepaid cards giving you a rate of 50 US cents a minute. One idea we are
pursuing is VOIP (voice over IP) service from packet8.net. For $20/month and with at least a dial-up Internet connection (DSL, broadband connection
would be better), you can make unlimited calls to the US and Canada, and calls to other parts of Mexico range from 7 to 9 US cents a minute. Other
helpful benefits of this service include a US based phone number where people can contact you when your phone is connected to the Internet. You can
have that US based number automatically forwarded to your phone in Mexico, and you pay 8 cents US a minute for those calls above and beyond the $20
monthly fee. You also get voice mail will this service.
Cell phone: roaming is available on AT&T and other plans, but it seems to be exhorbitant -- $2US a minute or more. I haven't been able to find out
much about coverage in La Paz or other plans specifically for Mexican residents. We don't plan on using a cell phone much down in BCS, but just want
it for emergencies. I don't have a good answer for this one yet.
Mail/Shipping from US: There are many services available, but do not yet know the most cost effective way for people to send you packages from the
States.
Please let me know what you have been able to find out as you all have been down there to check it out in person.
thanks!
[Edited on 3-20-2004 by the_lochsa]
[Edited on 3-20-2004 by the_lochsa]
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jrbaja
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Registered: 2-2-2003
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Baja phones
Telcel is what I recommend for phone service in Baja. I use mine almost everywhere on the peninsula excluding the area between El Rosario and Guerrero
Negro. There are also places that are blocked by mountains or in some steep arroyos but the phone works almost everywhere.
The costs are nowhere near $2.00 per minute but the rates change and they have many specials. Right now, you can buy a 500 peso card and recieve
1000 pesos credit for example. These rates are from about 4 days ago at Telcel in La Paz.
The mail takes a little (sometimes a lot ) longer but the postal service works fine down here. I receive my mail in Rosarito Beach and I have
friends here in La Paz who use the Mexican mail service. There is also Fed Express and other carriers readily available. Hope this was some help.
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the_lochsa
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Posts: 7
Registered: 2-24-2004
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thanks for reply -- Telcel prepaid Amigo program
Thanks for the information about the Telcel service. One thing I've found since my original post is that Telcel offers a prepaid program called
Amigo, that allows you to purchase air time without a monthly contract.
They have a special now where a $500MX purchase of prepaid service will give you a $900MX credit. The rates are $3.50MX a minute calling out, nothing
for incoming calls within your region (Baja, etc), and $2.50MX a minute to receive calls outside of your region.
You can buy a kit at Sanborns and other places that provide a phone and a card. I saw a deal online for a Nokia 5120 with $300MX minutes for a
charge of $458MX -- so for about $41USD you can get a cell phone with $29USD of service. This is the best deal I've found.
We're trying to decide between the Telcel service, and using our Verizon phone to roam. Under my plan they charge $.69USD a minute plus $.20USD a
minute long distance if you're calling out of your area in Mexico. Verizon uses the IUSACELL network, which is CDMA and I'm not sure this will offer
the great coverage that the Telcel older TDMA style service does.
Which would you all recommend -- Telcel or roaming on IUSACELL -- for relatively infrequent calls and rural highway coverage is important?
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Pescador
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3587
Registered: 10-17-2002
Location: Baja California Sur
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Verizon's coverage is not very good in most of Baja when you get down south. We have our cell phone expanded just before we go down so that we can
receive calls if necessary. I also buy an At&T card from Sam's club for long distance which costs about 2.9cents per min. and when I am in mexico
and call back to the US, it costs 10 units per minute or 29cents per min. I purchase a ladatel card in Mexico to access the pay phone and then dial
001-800-462-4240 or 01-800-288-2872 and then put in my numbers from the card and then dial direct to the number in the US or Canada.
ISP phones, when they work, may be cheaper but there usually seems to be some problem with clarity and service.
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Anonymous
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You can find internet cafes, many with laptop connections, all over La Paz for $10-15 pesos an hour. Very affordable compared to standard $50+
pesos/hr in CSL. There are like 10 along the Malecon alone (boardwalk). I like Don Tomas the most towards the east edge of Malecon, near Peking
Hotel -- very friendly, bigger place than most, laptop connections, artwork on the walls, and fresh OJ and coffee. Other places are just touristy
cafes and non-descript rooms.
Best rate to USA via phone is what you discovered -- voice over IP from an internet cafe. People can't call you (unless you have DSL) but it is very
cheap to call them. Quality is as good as a cell phone over DSL on the ones I've tried. Haven't tried Packet8 but hear it's good -- I'm going to
shoot for CrystalVoice which uses lower bandwidth so dialup is possible.
For mail service, there is a great outfit near Marina La Paz that I use called DirectExpress (directexpress.com), which provides you with a US
mailbox, forwarding your mail from San Diego to a box there in La Paz (or other major towns in Baja Sur). Long-term rates make it more affordable -
it ranges from $15-22US a month. Outgoing mail to the states is extra charge, and it's a bit pricy but very fast, with dropoffs going 3-4 times a
week. For example, mail dropped on Monday will be dropped off at the US post office by Wednesday. They can also receive FexEx, UPS, etc for extra.
All in all, it's great, and they give you free internet access & translation services too.
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The Gull
Super Nomad
Posts: 2223
Registered: 8-28-2003
Location: Rancho Descanso, BCN
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Mood: High
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Cheapest, Reliable Internet Cafe in La Paz
Caf? Callejon
Indoor and outdoor eating with good, simple Mexican food, tasty coffee stand and cheapest hi-speed Internet at 9 pesos per hour (80 cents at current
exchange). You will love the daily clientele. Some real strange and interesting characters
Around the corner from Hotel Perla on Callejon (alley) La Paz.
�I won\'t insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said.� William F. Buckley, Jr.
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