Mexico prepaid SIM
 

Will go to Mexico shortly and would like ho know what is best Sim there.
Also what rates wil look like to call Europe and if receiving calls from abroad are charged.

I was there during the last month and I bought a Telcel Amigo pack for 149 pesos. (8 Euros) That also came with 50 pesos of credit. Be prepared to go to a main Telcel office, as the smaller shops will not be able to sell you without you having a national ID number. In a Telcel shop you can buy with a photocopy of your passport.

I mainly used my SIM for incoming calls (I had setup a callback) but overall it served me very well. Incoming calls are free only in your area code, which is usually quite a small area. In my case it was a 50km length of the coast, but I was there most of the time.

Do a search for Telcel here on the forum. The other provider is Movistar, but I think their prepaid packs are a bit more expensive. Maybe RTuesday will also come back with some more details.



Edit: To call Europe, the best rate I found was with dialnow.com or rynga.com. The callback to Mexico is 5c/min or 6c/min, and rates to most landlines to Europe are 0c/min so total price is 6c/min! You need to download the Betamax Java voipclient for your phone from voipbuster. Too much to explain for that, but there are already some good instructions elsewhere here on the forum. Just do a few searches.

I would just add that the price of the startup pack may vary by region, in some areas it's 200 pesos.

As you mentioned, make sure you get a sim in the area code where you will be using it most often, to avoid domestic roaming charges.

Like calling European mobiles, it can be very expensive for somebody to call your Mexican mobile directly - for example the standard British Telecom daytime rate is around a pound (EUR 1.15) per minute! (and still 30p/min on their discount plans).

For incoming calls, localphone UK do a free UK landline number that can forward to Mexico mobile for 6.4p/min (localphone US is cheaper at 8.8c/min). Either of these would be a way to receive calls without it costing the caller too much (and also makes it easier for them).

Sorry, I don't have any better suggestions for international outbound calls from Telcel, as I use other ways for that (mainly voip).

I also mainly stuck to Voip, but there is one decent route for making cheapish international calls with that Amigo pack via gateways/calling cards in the USA. First of all they advertise that you can nominate Mexican numbers to call for a fixed fee. However these have to be Telcel numbers so unfortunately it is not possible to nominate a local gateway for example. Gateways in Mexico have ordinary landline numbers and these get charged at 4 Peso/min (22c/min) from Telcel Amigo.

However, what they do not make very clear is that you can also nominate 10 USA numbers that you can call for a fixed fee of 11 Pesos (€0.60) for 10 minutes which is only 6c/min. You can then nominate a local access number of one of the Betamax providers in the USA, and make onward calls to Europe at no further charge.

I was planning to use it mainly to receive calls
using a callback. Main point I understand is ho buy
The sim in the are of use to avoid charges for incoming
calls using the callback.

Yes. Just double check your telephone number when you buy the SIM, to make sure you are getting the right one. The area code are the first 3 digits which they call LADA in Mexico. If you are moving in the area of this LADA, you do not pay for incoming calls. An easy trick is to check the telephone numbers of known businesses, hotels, shops and restaurants in the area where you will be to see if they have the same LADA as the one on the SIM.

If you are outside your SIM's LADA, on Telcel Amigo you pay just under 4 pesos/minute for incoming calls. Still not too bad!

I have just bought a Telcel sim with local LADA but found out that they charge for receiving international calls but cant seem to know how much. Do you know if is normal to be charged for incoming international calls in my LADA? And how much is it?

I've just checked before and after a call, I don't get charged for international incoming calls (and never have been). I route other numbers (US, UK) to my Mexican mobile and never get charged (by Telcel) when I receive those.

Were you checking the balance before and after receiving the call? Remember there's a 0.88 peso (0.85 in border areas) charge for checking a balance.

I had a look at the rates and it appears Telcel have done some major updates to their rate structure, I can no longer see any national roaming charges, either incoming or outgoing. If true that's good!
Telcel: Fichas Amigo y Tarifas
(it may be different in a different region, mine is Baja California).

They've also altered the data price structure as well, maybe because Movistar made some major changes to their data rates recently. Main prepaid change is a hard cap at 3GB for 30 days, rather than slowing down the speed when the limit is reached.

I can also confirm that I was not charged for international incoming calls when I was in my area. On my last trip, I received more than 10 hours of incoming international calls, all within my 49 Peso startup credit. When I later went out of my area, this credit quickly disappeared after a mere 15mins of incoming calls!

Having said that, as I was using callback, many of my incoming calls did actually originate from a switch of Betamax/Finarea which may well have been within Mexico. However, I am fairly certain that I was not charged for either international incoming or national incoming within my LADA area.

A quick separate question to RTuesday, or whoever may know this: I have not used my Telcel SIM since around mid Jan 2010. It was bought around the 30th Dec 2009 but apart from the startup credit, it was never topped up. A friend is off to Mexico this week, and wants to use my SIM again. Will it now be completely dead due to inactivity, or can it be topped and reactivated? I could not find the details on validity on the site just yet...

I am in Nuovo Leon Zona 4 and bought a sim amigo telcel with 892 LADA that confirmed to be the local number. I have received 4 calls initiated from Europe using SMSDiscount access number in France and I have been charged 8 pesos per minute to receive these calls. The number showing on my mobile when ringing was my fixed line home french number where the call started.
Can anyone explain and if there is a fix like using callback instead of receiving a straight call from abroad?

Each time you recharge (for 100 pesos or more), 60 days is added to the validity of all the balance (new and old, if any). I'm not sure if the initial balance has the same rule. Using the phone does not extend validity.

So your initial balance would have expired at the latest at the end of Feb. But, you should be able to simply top it up some time in the next 2-6 months to reactivate it (most people say 6 months, some say a shorter time, maybe varies by region). You'll only get the new balance of course, not any remaining starting balance.

Very odd. Are you checking the balance before and after each call (sure it's not .88 pesos which is the call checking cost)? Is the caller calling with +52 1 892 ... or +52 892? (the latter shouldn't work as it's for landlines only but maybe there's a glitch which allows it and charges the called party?).

Rob

[Very odd. Are you checking the balance before and after each call (sure it's not .88 pesos which is the call checking cost)? Is the caller calling with +52 1 892 ... or +52 892? (the latter shouldn't work as it's for landlines only but maybe there's a glitch which allows it and charges the called party?).

Rob[/QUOTE]

Yes I am checking and si definetely 8 pesos a minute. The person calling via SMSDiscount access number is dialing 0052 1 892 etc. Dont understand why I am being charged.

Thank you very much Rob for this useful information. That is good news indeed. No there was no credit left on the card as it is!

Mingelli... that seems to be a lot to be charged for an incoming call. Even when I was charged (out of LADA) it was only around 4 pesos per minute. 8 pesos is double that and that is almost 50 euro cents per minute!! Seems steep! That is comparable with some of the roaming products... only it isn't a roaming SIM! It's a national SIM that you have bought for this reason! Have you tried to ask at one of their offices?

In terms of any tricks to make the system think the phone call is not coming in from overseas, I do not know! It seems strange that they have a system that can CLI detect where the incoming call is coming from.

This is a very valid point. When I first gave my number to people overseas, I gave it as 0052 755 .... People used to get a busy tone, and sometimes even a continuous ringing, but not an error message. This confused people, and it was only later on that I realised I need to give out 0052 1 755 ... Like Rob, I wonder if maybe this is somehow connecting for you, and your callers are getting charged the rate for calling Mexico landline (Which would be 0052 + LADA) and not the higher rate for calling Mexico Mobile (0052 + 1 + LADA). Perhaps this is what is happening, and as Rob says this may mean that the network is passing on the additional 'airtime' transmission cost to the receiving party (like in the USA) instead of ordinary 'caller pays'.

Speaking with some Mexican here in place they told me that is because is prepaid that I have been cherged for incoming international call and that Ishould switch it to a post paid, in that case international calls inbound are free. Will have so visit the Telcel shop when I have some time, just disappointed now.

That is bad news. Something seems to have changed for the SIM's they are selling now. I wonder if this also applies to older registered SIMs like mine, though judging by RTuesday's experiences this is not the case.

Perhaps when you go to the Telcel office you can ask them for a copy of the Terms and Conditions where it states this charging of international calls for Amigo (prepaid) SIM's. Maybe it is also on their website. It all seems very odd though!

By the way, I had a look online if I can find any info about this. It's hard finding any info on telcel tariffs at all, let alone this condition. Their own website is terribly slow at the moment, but I have been reading a few blogs and forums in Spanish. Nobody seems to mention anything about your particular issue.

However, they seem to have had a tariff change recently. The best summary of all rates is:
Nuevas tarifas telcel

No mention on there about incoming charges for international though.

I've only ever used prepaid (Telcel Amigo) and have never been charged for any incoming call, international or domestic (except when roaming in the US).

You're unlikely to be able to get a postpaid phone unless you have a home in Mexico and a residence visa (FM3 etc).

There's something really odd with the way you are being charged, it's simply wrong. Thanks Petkow for that link to the latest rates, very helpful, I've been looking for such a list.

Key part:

INCOMING RATE OUT OF YOUR HOME CITY IN THE REGION:
* INCOMING OUTSIDE CITY OF ORIGIN $ 5.09


INCOMING RATE OUT OF REGION:
* LOCAL (VISITED Cd) $ 5.09
* NATIONAL $ 5.09
* $ 22.11 AMERICA
* INTERNATIONAL (U.S. Hawaii) $ 16.12
* CANADA $ 16.12
* REST OF THE WORLD $ 22.11
Night Minutes: $ 2.60

(so I was wrong about them dropping the national roaming rates, they've just omitted to mention them on their "new and improved" website).

Still, if you are in your home city you should not get any charges for incoming calls, it's quite clear. Roaming within the same region, 5 pesos a min.

Try a Movistar sim if you just need it for incoming, if there's something dodgy about the way your local Telcel dealer operates. Their pagamenos xtra tariff is very interesting for calling out as well via US based calling cards.

RTuesday. Another slightly unrelated question: I read on their website that they have Internet on Amigo Prepaid SIM's at 1 Peso per MB. I presume this is mainly GPRS. Does this need to be activated in some way? Do you have any idea what the APN, username and password are, along with the block size?

As usual this sort of information is hard to find. It usually refers you to needing to visit a Telcel Shop to get these sort of simple questions answered. When I was last in Mexico, I never managed to get Data activated. I had to use my o2UK SIM in roaming to send the few bytes necessary to trigger my callback requests. I would like to set up my friends phone so that this sort of stuff works properly with my SIM on her upcoming trip.

Thanks!

Just did some more research and managed to answer some of my own questions, but am still not sure about whether this needs to be activated. Here is what I have found:

APN: internet.itelcel.com
Username: webgprs
Password: webgprs2002 (??? Maybe this is now webgprs2010 ??)
In GPRS the cost is M$0.02 (IVA incluido) por KB o fracción

I am assuming therefore that data gets charged in tiny 1kB chunks! Nice!!

Don´t forget to register your mexican mobiles
 

Don´t forget to register your prepaid and postpaid mexican mobiles in the RENAUT database. COFETEL, the Mexican Telecoms Authority, is advising that unregistered mobiles may be disconnected after April 10 2010.

More info about the registration process here: 17/2010 (Spanish pdf)

This only applies to sims first used before April 2009 (sims since that date were registered when activated). Mexicans can text in their CURP number (bit like a social security number), foreigners need to take a passport copy to a company store (or some major dealers).

Only 46% of phones have been registered so far! The phone companies are lobbying hard to extend the date, since they expect to lose tens of millions of customers in a few weeks...

That looks right, should be all you need (the password is still webgprs2002). I texted ALTA to 789 once at the beginning but I believe that just sent those settings to the phone. The on-demand data is 0.02 pesos/kB.

The 1 peso per MB deal is a special kit (i.e. new sim), limited time offer promo.

If you're using any serious amount of data (especially 3G), the day/week/month access is best - I'm using it now. It's limited to an average of 100MB/day. Prior to this month when the 3GB limit for a month was reached it switched to a slower speed for the rest of the month (with no way to restore the high speed until the end of the month). Now, it's apparently a hard limit (I'll find out in a couple of weeks...) which is OK if I can then start a new month at 3G speeds. I use it as my primary internet connection, speeds up to 3Mb/second are not bad in this unwired rural location.

So if you need a lot of internet one day, the 49 pesos for 100MB is a better deal than the 2 centavos/kB (20 pesos/MB) pay-as-you-go if you expect to use over 2.5MB (not hard!). For longer trips the weekly and monthly amounts are very flexible, I wish the US had something similar!
Details at Telcel: Internet Telcel Amigo

Rob

Thanks Rob. That is all very good news. In any case for my friends useage, I only plan on setting up the data for connecting the Voipbuster Java client to its server for triggering callback calls. That will only be a few Kilobytes at a time max!

The other info will be very useful for my next trip. I wish I had configured it earlier on my trip. When I asked about GPRS data useage and APN configuations in the Telcel shop, the vegetable behind the counter told me that GPRS useage in Mexico gets charged by the minute and not by the kB and it costs something in the order of 10 pesos per minute. I didn't believe this for one second. But as I was pushed for time I ended up using my UK o2 SIM in roaming, which wasn't too expensive actually for the tiny amounts I was using.

The deadline for registering phones is being extended by a year (to 2011).

What a surprise. Must be pure coincidence the phone companies are owned by powerful people.

Rob

OT.. but.. quick question: Is anybody else having problems installing the Java app from gsm.voipbuster.com at the moment? It seems to download OK, but then it gets chucked out due to a security issue, with a message saying contact the distributor.

It has been a few days now that I am not charged anymore to receive calls (international and domestic) and was also able to use it with a callback system to make outbound calls. Wonderful it works as expected.

That is good! Though perhaps if you have time, you should try drop into an office and ask why you were charged in the past, and get a refund!

The days I was charged the incoming calls the network was vey weak so I susspect it was picking up the signal from a neighboring cell area (lada) so I was charged.
On a diffrent issue if I buy a 100 pesos recarga you know how log it will last (60 days or less)?

The recharges of 100 pesos and all higher amounts are valid 60 days. The 50 pesos is only 30 days.

When you buy 200 pesos or more (at a time) you get bonus amounts added ("saldo de regalo"), the exact amount varies with promotions. That "gift" balance can only be used for calls to other Telcel numbers and for texts (and possibly by-the-kB GPRS), so is of limited use for you (or for me).

Telcel WAP APN configuration
 

APN: wap.itelcel.com
username: iesgprs
password: iesgprs2002
primary DNS: 0.0.0.0
secondary DNS: 0.0.0.0


WAP Gateway IP Address: 148.233.151.240

My Mexican experience was fraught with turmoil.
I bought 2 Telcel SIM kits from a street vendor in Nuevo Progreso for $15 US each. I tried to activate them but was unable to because of language barrier. A kind young woman in a Telcel shop in Matamoros was able to activate them for me a few days later. There was also a language barrier between her and I but by using sign language she got it done.
When we took a trip to Monterrey a few days later the starter minutes were gone. The tour guide told me there is a per day charge whether you use the phone or not. I then put 100 pesos on each. I made one call to my wife who had the other Telcel SIMed phone that lasted 1 minute.

In summary I spent about $45 US for a 1 minute call. On the next trip to Mexico I used my US T-Mo prepaid phone making one call which cost me $1.45 US

How to register a telcel sim
 

25jive1, I am sorry to hear that you have had difficulties with both of your telcel sims. As you have discovered, it is now nearly impossible for a tourist to activate a mexican sim without help.

For a tourist who speaks spanish fluently, this is the official process for registering a mexican sim:

Step 1 (To register ownership of a sim card). Insert the sim card in your phone and dial *264. A telcel customer service agent will ask you for your name and mexican contact address. Afterwards, you will be told that you now need to dial *333 to register your sim card in the national phone database.

Step 2 (To register the sim card in the national phone database): Dial *333 and choose the correct option from the voice menu list. Although you can change the language of the menu list from spanish to english, this is not going to help because the customer service agent will probably only speak spanish. You will be asked for your name and address once again, and you will also be expected to give your "CURP" number, which is a mexican national identity number. If you cannot provide a CURP number, you will be told that "there is a problem with the computer system at the moment" and you will be asked to use the automated SMS system to register your sim card.
The automated SMS registration process requires you to send a text message with details of your full name and data of birth to a special sms number. A telcel computer will then use this data to check if your name is present in the national database of CURP numbers. If you do not have a CURP number, do not waste your time trying to send a SMS registration message - you will not succeed!

You can only make and receive normal calls with your sim card, once it is registered in the national phone database.

For a tourist who does not speak spanish fluently, here are two suggestions for registering a mexican sim:

1. Ask a spanish-speaking friend, relative, or acquaintance to help you. You need the help of someone who has a CURP number and who will register your sim in their name. Do not be surprised if your helper looks shocked when you ask for help. The purpose of the telephone registration process is to help prevent crime: kidnappings, extortion, telephone threats. Few people will register a telephone in their name for someone else.

2. Or alternatively, find the nearest telcel office that offers "Authorized Client Customer Service" (Telcel servicio al cliente). Ask a spanish speaking friend to dial *264 to obtain the address of the nearest office for you. (Although there are thousands of "Authorized Telcel resellers" - they are unlikely to be able to register sims for tourists. You need to take your sim and passport to an official Telcel customer support office. You will also be expected to provide a mexican residential address.)

Top-ups:

Telcel top-ups are more complicated than you imagine. There are "top-up vouchers", "electronic top-ups" and "online top-ups". You need to be careful if you use the cheapest $20, $30 and $50 "electronic top-up" services, which are paid for in corner shops and supermarkets.

If you make an "electronic top-up" of $20, your new credit balance will last for 10 days.
If you make an "electronic top-up" of $30, your new credit balance will last for 15 days.
If you make an "electronic top-up" of $50, your new credit balance will last for 30 days.

For example, if your old balance is $250, after an electronic top-up of $20, your new balance of $270 will only last for 10 days before it is all lost, unless you make a new top-up sooner!

With any kind of top-up of $100, or more, the new credit balance will last for 60 days. On day 61, any remaining credit is lost.
A telcel telephone number remains active for 180 days after the last top-up.

Final comments:

- The telcel network is reputed to be the most reliable mexican network.
- Telcel GPRS data transfer costs are very cheap, especially for people on the prepaid "Amigo Tariffs" (2 centavos per kilobyte). Movistar charges 14 centavos per kilobyte.
- Prepaid telcel sims can roam in USA, Canada, South Africa(!), as well as in several latin american countries, and on a few tourist ships, but not in Europe.
- Prepaid movistar sims can roam in over 200 countries.
- The prepaid "Amigo" tariffs offer 30-day blackberry, and nokia email, options for about 499 pesos. Unless you know what you are doing, these services are only intended to be used by customers who have bought phones directly from telcel!

Starter minutes only last for a few days. I have never heard about telcel having a "per day network charge". Very strange! I doubt that this is true...

Are you sure about this? This must be something new. Was your phone trying to connect to the internet by any chance?

I'm a bit lost as to how you came to that figure, given the low cost of the Telcel cards.

There is no per-day charge on Telcel. None.

As mentioned though maybe data was eating up the balance, and the recharge. Plus with the call being domestic roaming it would have been charged on both outgoing and incoming phones.

A good dealer can register your Telcel sim with just a passport (they need to fax a copy in to a local office).

The by-the-day/week/month internet access (see Banda Ancha Telcel ) is easy to use, a much better deal than the 20 pesos/MB for pay-by-volume data.

Having said all that, if you don't need data, and make few calls, you're better off roaming on your home phone for most short trips.

If you need more calls, or for long/frequent trips, a US AT&T prepaid Go Phone (25c/min in Mexico) is the best option by a long way, generally cheaper than a local phone if you're mainly calling the US/Canada (if you don't mind the US$100+ a year it'll cost to keep it active).

I posted what the tour guide said, I didn't question it because my account was zero without making any calls. Now I learn here starter minutes "only last a few days" which would explain my zero balance.

I paid $30 for the 2 TelCel SIM "chips" (2 X $15) and about another $15 for the 2 refills in Monterrey for a total of about $45 USD.

We spend the winter months in South Texas making at least one trip per year into interior Mexico. I tried the TelCel SIMs for the experience. Our US phones will do for the infrequent calls we make to each other in the future.

Another advantage of telcel sims...
 

@25jive1

Since you intend to return to Mexico, and because you already have two telcel sims, why not...

1. Spend 20 USD to keep one of your telcel sims alive for roughly a year.

Simply make two separate payments of 10 USD via the internet to maintain your number for two periods of 180 days.
https://www.prepaid.com/telcel

2. Just before your next trip to Mexico you could also buy a US DID from localphone.com

Initial setup charge: 3.00 USD, plus a 99 cent rental charge per month.
Minimum DID rental period is one month. You can cancel the DID whenever you wish.
In my experience, call quality from localphone to telcel is very good and reliable.
Incoming DID Numbers in United States with Localphone

3. Then you could receive cheap incoming calls from your localphone US DID to your telcel sim for 0.10 USD per minute.

4. As Petkow suggested earlier in this thread, why not use the betamax voipclient software (a java midlet installed in your phone) to set up very cheap callbacks (using telcel gprs data rates) between your telcel mobile and the rest of the world?

Or, if you are flush with cash, why not try teleroam´s suggestion: "Use a US AT&T prepaid Go Phone (25c/min in Mexico), ... if you're mainly calling the US/Canada (and if you don't mind the US$100+ a year it'll cost to keep it active)." :)

Alternatively, you could be adventurous once again and buy a new telcel sim next year... :)

And here is a special suggestion for anyone who already uses the betamax voipclient:
Several betamax services offer free call termination to "iNum" telephone numbers.
And localphone offers free iNums which can be installed in voip phones.
The services of both companies work wonderfully together. :)

Recharging with 100 pesos (or $10 from one of the US websites) gives two months extension to the balance. After that all the balance is lost, although the number can *usually* be reactived by recharging within 3-6 months after that (it seems to vary).

It's better to recharge every two months (600 pesos a year, which gives 600 pesos of usable airtime), rather than throwing away probably 200 pesos a year plus any remaining balance, to possibly keep the number active.

For somebody who travels to Mexico once a year, it's hard to justify either, roaming is much simpler. The AT&T works well in border areas because that $100 a year airtime purchase includes the US (for a two-country prepaid, that's cheap).

How to activate telcel new SIM
 

Hi,
I got a new telcel SIM on ebay and would like to know how to activate it.

I'm out of Mexico and when I install it in an unlock phone I get no signal - I guess it should be activated first.

Can I activate it out of Mexico?:o

I just want to arrive to Mexico with an active and reloaded SIM ready to make in/out calls.

Regards
Assaf

Offer lots of money!
 

No, no chance outside Mexico! Wait until you arrive in Mexico and then search for someone who will activate it for you.

Offer lots of money! :)

P.S. You can only roam with prepaid telcel sim cards in the "Americas" and in South Africa! You will never receive a signal in Israel.

The start of Slim's Global Expansion
 

Prepaid telcel sims can also roam in France and Spain now!

Carlos Slim has finally spotted the market for roaming tourists in Europe!