tv, phone / internet
You CAN have it all in Baja and getting a phone with internet as well as TV, set up in your house is no exception. Every option is available in this arena, Vonage, Skype, Magic Jack, Satelite internet (for those without telephones), Hughes Net, Direct TV, Dish TV.
As far as television, we receive a TV signal from LA or from San Diego stations with our dish, and have all the channels one would have in the US. Too many.
Let me start first with the use of cellular within Mexico. The local company Mexico uses is TELCEL. You can buy very inexpensive phones at their main offices. (in the Walmart plaza) My phone cost $19.99 and was the cheapest phone they offer. English spoken there as well. For us, this is the way to go, as i can call locally within my community and i can use it to call anywhere in the US very cheaply. But you have to know the TIPS and TRICKS …
After you purchase your cell phone and sign up for Telcel service, you can purchase pre-paid cards. You just scratch off the code on the card and enter it into your Telcel cell phone, by dialing *333 on your keypad. It can be a motorola, nokia phone, whatever, doesnt matter. The better the phone, the better your reception range I suppose. You can also go to the Solo Precio Dollar Store in Ensenada and buy minutes there at the cash register, and they will automatically enter the minutes into your phone – how easy is that.
Telcel PrePaids Cards. They are sold in 100 minute, 300 minute or 500 minute increments. Well, PESOS rather… i will explain later. BUY the 500 minute card. This is because in addition to the minutes costing less (less minutes subtracted from the total amount of your available minutes) Telcel will also add an additional 400 minutes — giving you 900 minutes!!!! When you buy a 100 minute (or peso) card you only get 100. You get the idea. Now a 500 (peso) minute card will cost approximately $38.46 … The card costs 500 pesos. Divide that by the going exchange rate; which is now about 13. Ok, now on the peso thing. The cards costs that peso amount, either 100 pesos, 300 or 500 pesos. And you get 500 pesos worth of minutes. (or 900 actually)
So when you call the Telcel customer service number by dialing *264, you will get (in English by choosing option #2) a message that says “Your balance is 900 pesos” Thats if you have just purchased the card and not used any mnutes yet. I beleive this is a free call; so you wont have any peso minutes subtracted. So.. if you proceed to now call the US, the charge is 11 pesos for a 15 minute call. So then if you check your balance after completing the US call, it will tell you that your balance is now 889 pesos. One peso is pretty much like .10 cents.
Telcel US Calling Plan. You have to sign up for this either at the main office or by calling the customer service *264 line. (make sure to enter option #2 at the prompt for English) They will sign you up over the phone! Its so easy to do. It used to be 20 minutes when I first signed up then i was dissapointed to se they changed the time to 15 minutes. How this works is every 15 minutes you talk to the US, you are charged 11 pesos. (subtracted from your total minutes) So if you talk only 16 minutes or up to 30 minutes, your account will be subtracted 22 pesos. at 31 minutes it will subtract 33 pesos and so on.
Telcel Amigo Combinado Plan. This is a plan where you pick 10 local Baja friends THEY ALSO HAVE TO HAVE A TELCEL PHONE in order to do this though, and you tell the office your wish to start this plan and give them those 10 phone numbers. Make sure you write down which 10 numbers you chose or youll forget !! Maybe as enter them into your contact list you can add a little * next to their name or something — jeez i should try that, duh. Whenever you call that Telcel friend, it only costs less that a penny per second or some ridiculously cheap amount. I call my husband all the time this way. They can call you for this cheap too if they also sign up for the AC plan.
Telnor Landlines. As a resident of a neighborhood that does not offer telephone lines, we are not happy about that either, we cannot comment too much on getting a landline set up, but all my friends in neighborhoods all around me, as close as 3 miles away have landlines. Most of my friends are using Vonage for their long distance to the US and Telnor for local calling within Baja.
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I want to add at this point how it is possible to call folks back in the US. I have a HOME PAGE post on this topic. Please go the “home” page 1 (first one on top right) scroll all the way to the bottom, and click “Older Entries” you will be taken to Home Page 2. Scroll down and you will see this post. Sorry for the inconvenience.
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TelCel 3G Internet Service
What is it?
TelCel 3G is the Internet service that allows Telcel customers to connect with speeds up to 1.5Mbps through the Telcel cellular network. Using your own computer or compatable 3G enabled cell phone, you will have a broadband connection with full mobility anywhere within the coverage offered by the Telcel network .
You no longer need to be connected to the Internet via cable or tied to wireless Hot Spots, which limit your mobility. Now you can enjoy Internet access anywhere you have TelCel cell phone coverage, which allows you to check your mail or your favorite web page at any time and anywhere, even while you move from one place to another.
Basically this is just a small 3″ x 5″ little portable modem that plugs right into your USB port. Thats pretty much it. Anywhere you get a Telcel connection or signal, you can have Internet. That is in LaBufadora, since we do not have landlines here in our neighborhood 
I have personally tested out the Telcel 3G and it works very well here. Fast.
The cost is 429 pesos per month for a basic plan. ($33.oo) You can also buy a plan that includes additional cell phone minutes for an all in one package.
for alot more information visit www.bajasatellite.com on plans and services.
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In some of the larger or more tourist centered towns you will find an Internet Business Center, where you will be able to get a mailbox and send/receive US mail, use the internet, photocopies, scanning, private work cubicles, faxing, and phone to US and Canada all in once place. San Felipe has one such place.
DIALING 800 Numbers to the US:
This is tricky. That is because the 800 codes don’t work from Baja. So here is the breakdown:
to dial USA 800……. dial 880
to dial USA 866……..dial 883
to dial USA 877…….dial 882
to dial USA 888……..dial 881
