AT&T
AT&T
is
the
newest Mexican carrier. AT&T offers a
competitive product for both Mexican and US customers. They
are upgrading the network to 4G LTE and 5G. Mexico
AT&T
customers will have both roaming and calling benefits across the
border, to and from the US, Mexico and Canada. A
US AT&T
phone
will
roam on another network in Mexico if an AT&T
signal is unavailable. AT&T
Mexico customers can call all customers of AT&T,
Unefon
and Cricket, in Mexico, Canada and the US without additional charges.
We have not been able to find AT&T SIM's in convenience stores
for
short-time use. |
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MOVISTAR
Movistar
offers
prepaid options
and their GSM network is currently the second best in Mexico. You can
buy a SIM and use it in your own unlocked phone. Movistar
retailers are hard to find, but refills are
available at most convenience stores. Movistar
offers competitive plans which include Calls & Text to
and
from the US and Canada. We've been
unable to access any English-speaking assistance at Movistar, either on
cellular, or at their national toll-free number. Calls to 611, and to
check your balance, involve a charge.
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 TELCEL
Telcel offers
excellent coverage in the
country. Telcel
sells a prepaid
package for outside visitors, that includes phone, SIM ("chip") and a
prepaid card.
Some retailers offer just the SIM, some of which have minutes already
loaded, which can be inserted into your own unlocked GSM phone.
Some retailers charge an extra fee to help you get set up...it could be
worth it. If your phone is not unlocked, your GSM carrier
(AT&T,
T-Mobile and others) may provide you with your unlock code before you
leave the US. If not, or
if you don't subscribe to those networks, you can buy almost any
unlocked GSM
phone just for use in Mexico.
Telcel
offers 4G LTE and some 5G, but it is limited to large
cities. To compete
against the new AT&T
plans, Telcel offers
roaming and calling to both the US and Mexico without extra charges.
Most incoming calls are free. Our TelCel
refills don't "roll over". Add a new prepaid refill and you lose
some or all of your previous minutes. TelCel
refills are
available at
many retail outlets. We don't find refill cards, but most
convenience stores can take your Telcel number and enter your
purchase in the computer, which is
immediately credited to your Telcel phone.
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OTHER MEXICO WIRELESS CARRIERS:
These
carriers sell cellular services that use the network of one of the
major carriers, above.
- CIERTO:
Uses the Movistar
Network
- QBOcel:
Uses the Movistar
Network
- UNEFON:
Uses the AT&T
Mexico
Network
- VIRGIN MOBILE:
Uses the Movistar
Network
- RED
COMPARTIDA
The
Red Compartida (The "Shared Network") was built by the Mexican
government
with 3 objectives:
►
To be used by any of the Mexico Wireless carriers
► To
provide wireless coverage in "unserved"
areas of the country
► To
provide fast, 4G-LTE service where it
may be otherwise unavailable
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| HELPFUL
MEXICO LINKS:
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