Telecel MX - free roaming option in USA and Canada

[RTuesday]

Originally Posted by wolfbln

on their regular Amigo prepaid plan data is at $0.85/MB in Mexico, domestic packages offered
on their Amigo Óptimo Plus Sin Frontera data is at $1.98/MB in Mexico, the US and Canada, no roaming packages offered

Yes, the Sin Frontera rate does charge more for data in Mexico than the base Amigo plan (although using the "regalo" balance brings the effective cost down for both, while in Mexico). In Mexico, where mobile is the only internet I have, I normally use the 3GB/30 day data bundle for 399 pesos on a second sim (packages work the same on either plan).

In the US and Canada my usage is mostly voice and text, I use very little data outside of wifi, but the 12c/MB is comparable to US prepaid like H2O and cheaper than most in Canada. (I'm not comparing it to anything that has a fixed monthly subscription). If I was a heavy data user outside Mexico I'd just use a local sim.

Originally Posted by wolfbln

I think AT&T Unidos (Iusacell, Nextel, Unefon) is much more transparent in this respect. They charge the same rates without these tricks and offer data bundles for all over Mexico (where they have coverage), the US and Canada.

Their rates look good, but they don't have any coverage within 100 miles of me in Mexico. Hopefully they will do eventually, especially with their spectrum partnership with Movistar, but it could be a long time. Even Movistar is only 2GB for me, Telcel is 3G at reasonable speeds (3-8 Mb/s). Coverage is important.

Originally Posted by wolfbln

So let's do a short calculation for data use: 1.5 GB in 30 days roaming in the US or Canada on a Mexican prepaid plan: on Telecel's roaming plan "sin frontera" you pay MX$ 2970 (1500*1.9 compared to AT&T Unidos MX$ 300. That's about a 10-fold difference!

If I was using that amount of data, I'd use a local sim. My focus is on voice and text, especially incoming, and pay-as-you-go (just pay for what I use, with minimal costs when I don't use much).

I wasn't able to spot any pay-as-you-go plan on the AT&T Unidos site, they all seem to be monthly plans.

So, I think we're talking about two different things (which is why there are two answers).

I'm interested in (and am using) a very low usage pay-as-you-go service for voice and sms, with a little data (more in Mexico), and good coverage. Sort of like a "glovebox phone", where the running cost is important (most of time, a 100 peso recharge every two months is enough, especially as incoming calls and texts are free in all three countries).

You're talking about heavier international data usage, and a much higher monthly fee. Similar to the various US plans with roaming. Different market, different answer.