Local cellular providers: TELCEL, others?

[GotSand?]

Do most of you locals use TELCEL, or is there a better provider?

I'm looking into renting a cell phone for a week, and the best deal I've found is through Cellular Abroad which uses TELCEL service via a prepaid SIM card ... outgoing calls to the U.S. break down to $1.31/min, outgoing local calls $.60/min plus $29 for the 7-day phone rental. The guy told me I can buy more minutes by purchasing a TELCEL phone card at OXXO stores.

Does this sound like the way to go, or are there better options? My cell provider doesn't partner w/ any Mexican providers for reduced rates.

[TnJ]

Telcel worked ok for me on my cingular phone. no outages i could detect.
more here

[rotorhed]

Originally Posted by GotSand?

Do most of you locals use TELCEL, or is there a better provider?

I'm looking into renting a cell phone for a week, and the best deal I've found is through Cellular Abroad which uses TELCEL service via a prepaid SIM card ... outgoing calls to the U.S. break down to $1.31/min, outgoing local calls $.60/min plus $29 for the 7-day phone rental. The guy told me I can buy more minutes by purchasing a TELCEL phone card at OXXO stores.

Does this sound like the way to go, or are there better options? My cell provider doesn't partner w/ any Mexican providers for reduced rates.

If you have cingular service from the US, they have coverage from TELCEL and Movistar. Both have good coverage in the Playa and Cancun. The web site will give you more information. http://onlinestorez.cingular.com/tra...L=484&MNC=CING. I was in Playa 3 times last year and my Cingular service work just fine.

[Michael]

Originally Posted by GotSand?

Do most of you locals use TELCEL, or is there a better provider?

I'm looking into renting a cell phone for a week, and the best deal I've found is through Cellular Abroad which uses TELCEL service via a prepaid SIM card ... outgoing calls to the U.S. break down to $1.31/min, outgoing local calls $.60/min plus $29 for the 7-day phone rental. The guy told me I can buy more minutes by purchasing a TELCEL phone card at OXXO stores.

Does this sound like the way to go, or are there better options? My cell provider doesn't partner w/ any Mexican providers for reduced rates.

Be careful! If you rent a <st1:city w:st="on"><st1 ="">Mexico City</st1></st1:city> cell phone (that's all Cellular Abroad offers on line) you will not be able to recharge the SIM outside of that region. The Amigo cards used for recharging phones are area specific along with the SIM cards. You will need a region 8 Telcel SIM to use with Amigo cards purchased in Quintana Roo.

I would recommend you browse this site, and play around with the search function to learn more. I’ve posted all this and more on other threads. If Cellular Abroad can offer you a SIM with a 984 area code you will be all set as that is Playa and Region 8.

It may even be possible to rent a cell phone from the operators of this site.

[tarso]

Well, I thing is Tel cel, but Movistar is good too

Originally Posted by GotSand?

Do most of you locals use TELCEL, or is there a better provider?

I'm looking into renting a cell phone for a week, and the best deal I've found is through Cellular Abroad which uses TELCEL service via a prepaid SIM card ... outgoing calls to the U.S. break down to $1.31/min, outgoing local calls $.60/min plus $29 for the 7-day phone rental. The guy told me I can buy more minutes by purchasing a TELCEL phone card at OXXO stores.

Does this sound like the way to go, or are there better options? My cell provider doesn't partner w/ any Mexican providers for reduced rates.

[mofi]

Originally Posted by Michael

Be careful! If you rent a <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 /><st1:city w:st="on"><ST1 ="">Mexico City</ST1></st1:city> cell phone (that's all Cellular Abroad offers on line) you will not be able to recharge the SIM outside of that region. The Amigo cards used for recharging phones are area specific along with the SIM cards. You will need a region 8 Telcel SIM to use with Amigo cards purchased in Quintana Roo.

I would recommend you browse this site, and play around with the search function to learn more. I’ve posted all this and more on other threads. If Cellular Abroad can offer you a SIM with a 984 area code you will be all set as that is Playa and Region 8.

It may even be possible to rent a cell phone from the operators of this site.

How does that work? I have lots of friends from mexico city that have mexico city cell numbers, but live in playa and always put credit on there phones....and it's telcel.

[Michael]

Originally Posted by mofi

How does that work? I have lots of friends from mexico city that have mexico city cell numbers, but live in playa and always put credit on there phones....and it's telcel.

That is interesting. Take a look at an Amigo card. On the back next to the expiration date is the region code. You will see region 8 on the back of one purchased in Playa (Q Roo and Yucatan are in Region 8, there may be other states). We've made the mistake once of buying an out of region Amigo card, from the Mexico City area. And we could not use it and had to give it away.

However perhaps you've helped me swerve into the correct explanation. Perhaps it is the region that you do the recharge in that matters. And so perhaps the rented Mexico City cell phone will recharge ok in Playa because the Amigo cards purchased in Region 8 can recharge any Telcel phone while it is in region 8. That would make a lot more sense. And so the rented Mexico City phone would be just fine in Playa (but a very expensive option).

Thanks Mofi for that, it could come in handy the next time I let my minutes run out when I am traveling. As the last time I did this we were moving very quickly and I probably crossed out of the region where the card was purchased before I tried to use it. I'll take a $10 gamble with that when I am next in Mexico City (I assume you'll be good for the 100 pesos if it does not work ). Hopefully all the minutes from all the regions mix together on the same account. But if that is what is happening on your friends Mexico City phones then I'll be all set.

...and the other question. Telcel is by far the largest cell phone company in Mexico. It is owned by the brother of the guy that owns all of the land lines. I would not want to by trying the new cell phone company until they get more established. But if you do take the gamble, let us all know how it works out.

[mofi]

haha 100 pesos??? I'm a student i barely have 5 pesos..
But I can assure you that my friend has a mexico city cell phone area code 55 and he hasn't been to mexico city in how many months, but he buys phone cards all the time in playa.

As for the cell phone issue. By a nokia with telcel in playa for $40 with 100 free pesos of airtime. thats the cheapest way to go.

Btw...If i don't use the phone for a period of time will I lose my number and have to buy a new sim card when I go back?

[Michael]

Originally Posted by mofi

Btw...If i don't use the phone for a period of time will I lose my number and have to buy a new sim card when I go back?

Basically the way it works is like this.

If you don't use your phone (the SIM actually) for 60 days the account gets put on hold. However if you buy a new phone card and add time to the SIM the hold is removed.

If you don't use the SIM for 180 days the number and any mimutes associated with it are subject to forfiet. While the phone that we rent to guests with our house has not gone unused for 180 days we did have that the number go onto a more serious hold at some point before the 180 days (perhaps even after 120 days, this is not documented in the Telcel SIM instuctions that I have). And while the hold could not be released by simply adding time to the SIM, a phone call to Telcel did release that hold (though it can take as long as 24 hours) and the number was not forfieted.

[mofi]

Good cause my credit runs out in feb and i have no way of putting more back on. Just wanted to makes sure it will work in april.