Cell phone coverage - San Carlos Forum - Topical Forums - San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico Forums

San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico Forums Home

San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico Forums > Topical Forums > San Carlos Forum > Cell phone coverage

San Carlos Mexico Forum
Welcome to our forum. In order to post in our forums you must be registered. Please take a minute to register to enjoy the full benefits of the forum. Registration is FREE and your information is kept private. When registering, please make sure your email address is entered correctly-if incorrect, you will not receive your validation message. Please do not use your email address as your user name for your own privacy and security. Gmail account users should check spam or trash folders for our validation message after initial registration. We also suggest you add host@sancarlosmexico.com to your white list.

This message board requires you to register in order to post new topics, reply to topics started by other users, start polls, or vote on polls. As a registered user, you can edit your own posts, upload photos and view our photo gallery, and send private messages to other members of the board. Registered users can keep track of the topics they are interested in, and receive e-mail notifications when someone posts to one of those topics. Registered users can choose a theme and setup a profile, to include hometown, email & web address and avatar if desired.
We do ask that you post in the appropriate forum-look over the subjects and topics of all forums including the mercado section before making your first post. Posts in the wrong forum or not related to San Carlos may be moved or deleted without notice.
Please take a moment and register to enjoy all the benefits of the forum.
Bienvenidos!

Moderated by: bartmanaz

Page: 1 2

Printer Friendly

Cell phone coverage

Author	Post

Posted: Thu Jan 10th, 2019 12:26 am

caroleshedd
Member

Joined:	Mon Oct 8th, 2018
Location:
Posts:	24
Status:	Offline
Mana:

Help! Last visit in San Carlos discovered my TracFone would NOT work in San Carlos or anywhere in Mexico for that matter. I switched over to Cricket as they "guaranteed" I would have coverage in "Mexico" but now I am hearing differently. Can anyone give me a service that really works in San Carlos?

Posted: Thu Jan 10th, 2019 01:12 am

nice guy
Member

Joined:	Mon Jun 25th, 2007
Location:
Posts:	708
Status:	Offline
Mana:

Telcel - a new SIM card is cheap - and free calls to Can and US

Posted: Thu Jan 10th, 2019 07:39 am

caroleshedd
Member

Joined:	Mon Oct 8th, 2018
Location:
Posts:	24
Status:	Offline
Mana:

so you wait until you get into mexico and then buy a telcal sim card? or do you have to buy a phone from them? I have found by research that using a different sim does not mean the carrier is the same for the phone. at any rate, thank you for the info. I will check it out!

Posted: Thu Jan 10th, 2019 01:16 pm

nice guy
Member

Joined:	Mon Jun 25th, 2007
Location:
Posts:	708
Status:	Offline
Mana:

You need an unlocked phone. That is - a phone not locked to any specific carrier. I looked up Tracfone and web says - TracFone SIMs are programmed to recognize only TracFone phones. ... After activation, the phone won't accept any other SIM card, and the SIM card won't work in any other phone. The issue isn't simply between TracFone and AT&T. The real issue is that TracFone phones can only accept TracFone SIM cards. Telcel offers a cheap non-smart phone for about us$35 that visitors can buy with a SIM and some minutes and add minutes with pay as you go no-contract.

Last edited on Thu Jan 10th, 2019 01:18 pm by nice guy

Posted: Thu Jan 10th, 2019 01:43 pm

caroleshedd
Member

Joined:	Mon Oct 8th, 2018
Location:
Posts:	24
Status:	Offline
Mana:

do you buy a telcal phone and then the sim card? looked at this last night and various sims at different prices you could buy. Wondering if you would be able to tell from the get go which phone would be compatible?

Posted: Thu Jan 10th, 2019 01:55 pm

El Suizo
Member

Joined:	Mon Nov 7th, 2005
Location:	Ohio
Posts:	68
Status:	Offline
Mana:

I have AT&T north of the border and it works perfect down in Mexico not just San Carlos and Guaymas.

Posted: Thu Jan 10th, 2019 03:42 pm

MARIGOT
Member

Joined:	Wed Aug 5th, 2009
Location:
Posts:	987
Status:	Offline
Mana:

When I bought my cheapest-of-the-line TelCel phone, the guy at the counter put the SIM card in the phone as part of the set up. Works fine, have had it 9 years. After the initial pesos in the phone have been used, go to any OXXO to buy more and have them loaded in the phone. Or buy the scratch off card and load the pesos when convenient for you. They have an expiration date, so the timing can be important.
Because the pesos have an expiration date, based on when loaded into the phone, don’t load up more than you can use.
When you go to the TelCel office in Guaymas, ask the person at the door for an English speaking sales person if you need English. Several of the young sales people speak English very well.
Good luck and have fun!

Posted: Thu Jan 10th, 2019 10:56 pm

Hook
Member

Joined:	Wed Oct 26th, 2005
Location:	Mexico
Posts:	3361
Status:	Offline
Mana:

FWIW, Verizon phones also work very well down here. Didnt use to be so, only a few years ago, especially on the highway coming down. But now I find I am occasionally on the Telcel network and occasionally on the Movistar network, and am never without service. I bought an unlocked international Samsung 7s that apparently works on CDMA and GSM towers. I can select either one or leave it on "Global" and it finds any and all networks and lets me choose. Or it will choose automatically, if I want it to.

I am on a month-to-month, 55 and older, Verizon plan with unlimited text and voice in Mex, Canada and the US. Data is 500mb/day. Two lines for 80.00 US. I think it is a form of Verizon Unlimited.

Posted: Fri Jan 11th, 2019 12:01 am

ballenamar
Member

Joined:	Fri Mar 17th, 2006
Location:
Posts:	806
Status:	Offline
Mana:

I have had great service and coverage with my TelCel unlimited plan for about $us20 per month with coverage in Mexico, USA, and Canada. In the USA, TelCel uses ATT and other networks to give excellent coverage. I am very happy with TelCel !!!!!

Posted: Fri Jan 11th, 2019 12:30 am

caroleshedd
Member

Joined:	Mon Oct 8th, 2018
Location:
Posts:	24
Status:	Offline
Mana:

thanks all!! wondering if I could get a Telcel online prior to departing us for mex? sim cards are plentiful. going to do some more research on this. would love to get set up BEFORE we travel this time.

Posted: Fri Jan 11th, 2019 12:55 am

nice guy
Member

Joined:	Mon Jun 25th, 2007
Location:
Posts:	708
Status:	Offline
Mana:

Easiest way is to go to the Gym main Telcel next to Tufesa with passport, tourist visa, your address, hotel?, and some pesos.

Posted: Fri Jan 11th, 2019 01:28 am

caroleshedd
Member

Joined:	Mon Oct 8th, 2018
Location:
Posts:	24
Status:	Offline
Mana:

thank you! so much for all of the information. I am going to contact telcal US tomorrow to see if I can get a phone set up prior to leaving NEXT fall for San Carlos. I was hoping to keep my US phone number for just one carrier, don't know if that is a realistic possibility but attempting to do so.

Posted: Fri Jan 11th, 2019 01:28 am

caroleshedd
Member

Joined:	Mon Oct 8th, 2018
Location:
Posts:	24
Status:	Offline
Mana:

correction Telcel

Posted: Fri Jan 11th, 2019 01:36 am

caroleshedd
Member

Joined:	Mon Oct 8th, 2018
Location:
Posts:	24
Status:	Offline
Mana:

Telcel US is the official TracFone contract. I'm just going to order sim card for Telcel/Intl, activate when we cross the border with one of my unlocked phones. Any type of phone work better over the other?? Thanks again .

Posted: Fri Feb 1st, 2019 06:53 pm

rdsailing
Member

Joined:	Fri Feb 1st, 2019
Location:
Posts:	3
Status:	Offline
Mana:

Also traveling with my boat to San Carlos. I use T-Mobile which works great for me in Canada, anyone using it in San Carlos?

Also interested in what data costs are for Telcel per GB.

Any and all help is appreciated.

Posted: Fri Feb 1st, 2019 07:37 pm

nice guy
Member

Joined:	Mon Jun 25th, 2007
Location:
Posts:	708
Status:	Offline
Mana:

There's 6-7 ?? pay as you go "rates" - see

https://www.telcel.com/personas/telefonia/amigo/tarifas-y-opciones-end/amigo-sin-limite

Last edited on Fri Feb 1st, 2019 07:38 pm by nice guy

Posted: Fri Feb 1st, 2019 08:17 pm

rdsailing
Member

Joined:	Fri Feb 1st, 2019
Location:
Posts:	3
Status:	Offline
Mana:

I found this which seems very reasonable https://us.telcel.com/secure/ServicePlans

Posted: Fri Feb 1st, 2019 09:57 pm

nice guy
Member

Joined:	Mon Jun 25th, 2007
Location:
Posts:	708
Status:	Offline
Mana:

If you're going to be on a boat in the Sea, you might not use much, as there's no service in 95% of the coast.

Posted: Sun Feb 3rd, 2019 03:07 am

JZ
Member

Joined:	Wed Oct 26th, 2005
Location:
Posts:	1674
Status:	Offline
Mana:

Lots of bad information ITT. Telcel is really only a good option if you are in MX for long periods of time. No one can call you on your US number. They have to call you on your MX Telcel number. Plus you have to fumble around with SIM cards and dealing with Telcel. If you live in MX, sure, if you are visiting, no.

AT&T is the best for MX. You get free calls, text, and data for all of North America. Same with T-Mobile, but AT&T has a little better service (AT&T bought 2 MX carriers in the last 2-3 years). Both roam over to the Telcell network (for free) when not using their own networks. My 3 kids use their iPhones in MX just like they are in the US.

Cricket is owned by AT&T. You can get plans that give you free roaming to MX. If anything, just turn it on for a month or so: https://www.cricketwireless.com/support/international-calling/coverage-in-mexico-and-canada.html

Verizon has historically been the worst US carrier for international roaming, but they have slowly gotten better.

Last edited on Mon Feb 4th, 2019 12:23 am by JZ

Posted: Sun Feb 3rd, 2019 10:59 pm

Bullshipper
Member

Joined:	Thu Aug 23rd, 2012
Location:
Posts:	1789
Status:	Offline
Mana:

I have no problems with Verizon

Current time is 01:21 am	Page: 1 2
San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico Forums > Topical Forums > San Carlos Forum > Cell phone coverage	Top

UltraBB 1.172 Copyright © 2007-2014 Data 1 Systems