Mexico prepaid SIM

[RTuesday]

Originally Posted by petkow

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?.

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.

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.

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

[mingelli]

[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.

[petkow]

Originally Posted by RTuesday

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.

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.

Originally Posted by RTuesday

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?).

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'.

[mingelli]

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.

[petkow]

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!

[petkow]

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.

[RTuesday]

Originally Posted by mingelli

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.

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.

[petkow]

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!

[petkow]

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!!

[babble]

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)