Communications in Mexico

Telephones in Mexico

Mexico's telephone network is one of the most well-developed in Latin America. Penetration of land-lines never reached those of the US or western Europe, and are now never likely to as the introduction of mass-market mobile telephones in the mid 1990's meant that people turned to wireless connections and demand for land-lines declined, especially in more remote areas.

Today, Mexico offers a whole range of telephony services from simple land-line telephone services to high-speed internet (ADSL) services as well as the latest GSM (and soon, 3rd Generation) mobile technologies.

Telmex, Mexico's dominant and near-monopoly telephone operator has a very tight grip on the Mexican communications market, despite the opening up of its communications network to competition; a pre-requisite of Mexico's entry to the WTO (World Trade Organization).

As a result, telephone charges are still high by American and European standards, and relative to local earnings -- extremely high.

Alternative carriers and third party calling-card access numbers are widely available, although with Telmex's massive marketing power, the only communication services you ever "see" in Mexico belong to Telmex. The group that owns the majority of Telmex shares also owns an abundance of other businesses including shops, department stores, restaurants, and a bank to name a few. This network of outlets is leveraged to its full potential by Telmex's sophisticated marketing teams, backed by enormous budgets, maximizing revenues for the telephone company.

New technologies are beginning to make inroads into Telmex's domination of phone call charges -- especially long distance. For example, the use high speed internet to make voice calls (known as VoIP, Voice over Internet Protocol) delivered through user-friendly services such as Skype means that users of high-speed internet can circumvent high-cost long-distance phone charges.

In places where a computer or high-speed internet connection is unavailable, a number of companies in Mexico offer calling cards with significant discounts over 'normal' long-distance call rates. You access these by dialing a toll-free or local rate access number and then dialing the long distance number you want to reach.

Keeping in touch in Mexico is not difficult and Telmex has invested significant amounts in the delivery of new technologies, particular their high-speed internet product, called 'Infinitum'.

Long distance call charges, line rentals, and high-speed internet rental (ADSL) are still expensive in Mexico, in large part due to the near-monopoly currently enjoyed by the incumbent telephone operator Telmex.

Notwithstanding this, as new technologies and niche competitors begin to make inroads into the Mexican telecommunications market, lower fees and prices are there to be found when you look closer. This guide has been written to lead you through the current maze of options so that you may make informed choices and keep your communication costs to a minimum when you are traveling or living in Mexico.

• Hotel Phones
• Public Telephones
• Call Charges in Mexico
• Reverse-Charge Calls

Hotel Phones

Most major Hotels in Mexico, from mid-range prices upwards, will provide an in-room telephone which can be used for local, national and international phone dialing.

As with all hotels worldwide, any calls other than local calls (which are sometimes free, but not always) may cost a small fortune.

If you are going use your hotel for long distance or international calling, use a Calling Card which provides a toll-free or local-rate number to access the service, and will charge you less than hotel charges for long distance calls.  Check with the hotel to ensure that charges to access toll-free (01-800) numbers are fee-free, or at best, very low.  Some hotels in Mexico often make a fixed-fee charge of around US$1 for a 'free' call, regardless of its duration.

Public Phones in Mexico

Telmex (Telefonos de Mexico) - the dominant, near-monopoly, phone company in Mexico manages most of the pay phones in Mexico. Coin operated phones exist in small quantities for local calls and reverse charge calls. Most pay phones in Mexico only operate with pre-paid phone cards.

Most public phones use the pre-paid phone cards. You can buy pre-paid Telmex phone cards in denominations of 30, 50 and 100 pesos. They are widely sold throughout Mexico including convenience stores, hotels and news and tobacco kiosks. Look for a sign reading "Tarjetas Ladatel" in the window, or ask at the counter.

Although Telmex has moved to lower rates from public phones in recent times, their pre-paid calling cards are still a bit expensive. You will get cheaper long-distance calling rates by purchasing an "alternative carrier" phone card (see below) and using any private or public phone to make calls using the access numbers on these cards.

Call Charges in Mexico

Local Calls - There is a fixed charge for a local call, regardless of how long the call lasts. Pay phones cost more. For the latest prices on telephony in Mexico connect to the Mexico Price Index on Mexperience.

National and International Calls - These vary in price according to time of day and distance. International calls are very expensive by US, European and Australian standards; many people are beginning to use Internet-based telephony and "alternative carrier" calling cards as an alternative to high fixed network charges -- see below. For the latest prices on telephony in Mexico connect to the Mexico Price Index on Mexperience.

Reverse Charge Calls

In order to place a reverse charge call from Mexico, dial the operator on 020 if the call is a domestic one, or 090 if the call is international. The operators on the international number will be able to speak English. Ask to place a "collect" call and give them the number you want to connect to.

Charges Warning: Reverse Charge International calls from Mexico cost a small fortune for the person receiving the charge, so if you need to make one, find a phone that accepts incoming calls and give the people you want to talk with the number you are dialing from so they can call you back on it.

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Lower Call Costs Using "Alternative Carrier" Calling Cards

Instead of buying a Telmex phone card for long-distance calls, buy one of the widely-available "alternative network" calling cards. They will save you a significant amount of money on your long-distance and international calls, whether you are calling from a hotel phone, a private phone or a public pay phone.

They are simple to buy and use:

Stop-by at any kiosk selling confectionery, cigarettes, newspapers, etc. You'll find these on street corners, bus stations, airports, etc. Some convenience stores (e.g. "Oxxo" also stock them) and you may even find that your hotel's kiosk or convenience store has them as well. They are not usually advertised, you will have to ask the store-keeper for them.

As for a "Tarjeta para llamadas de larga distancia de descuento " (calling card for discounted long distance calls). There are a number of different brands/companies.

They are sold in denominations of $100, $200 or $500 pesos (currency converter) and will offer you significantly more minutes on Mexican long-distance calls, calls to mobiles and especially calls abroad, than the equivalent amount on a Telmex calling card (or even, from a private phone line serviced by Telmex).

The cards are delivered in a sealed wrapper and require you to scratch off a panel to reveal the card's calling code. Reject the card if the wrapper and scratch-panel are not intact when you buy it.

You'll find local access numbers printed on the back. Note that by dialing the local access number for Mexico City, Guadalajara or Monterrey (Mexico's three big cities) you will get more minutes than if you dial the toll-free (01-800) access number, accessible from any phone nation-wide.

If you are in one of the big cities, it's better to pay for local access to the local number (the call may be free from your hotel room, but check) and dial long-distance than use the toll-free number. If you are not in one of the big cities, or have no way of paying for a local call if it's not free from where you're calling, then the toll-free access number is available for use.

When you dial the access number, a voice will give you the option of choosing the language you want -- all main languages are available including Spanish, English, French, German, Italian. Some also offer Japanese and Russian.

You'll be prompted to enter your card's calling code (the number under the scratch panel) after which you'll be told how much credit you have left. After each call, your new balance will be spoken out to you.

You can often use the same card to top-up your "account credit" over the internet by using a charge card -- useful if you make a lot of calls and can't find another store to purchase more cards. Details and web-site will be printed on the card.

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Free and Low Calling Costs in Mexico using Internet Telephony

With the advent of "VoIP" (Voice over Internet Protocol) you can now make free and very low cost telephone calls in Mexico, by-passing the high-cost fixed network charges imposed by Telmex.

What is Internet Telephony?

Internet telephony uses the data transferred across the world's internet networks to carry voice. In simple terms, your voice is "packaged up" into digital signals, sent across the internet and "unpackaged" at the other end. There is no need for any technical knowledge: the software on your computer and a headset (or the built-in microphone on your laptop plus some headphones) is all you need.

Equipment Needed

You'll need a computer (laptop or desktop) connected to a high-speed internet connection, a headset with a microphone (you can buy these online and at many retail stores), or a laptop with a built-in microphone and some headphones to plug-in to the "headphone" jack on the laptop.

You'll need some software, which is down-loadable for free.

By connecting your headset to your computer (or by using the built-in microphone and headphones) you can talk and listen to others over the net as you would using a normal telephone.

Making Free and Low Cost Calls over the Internet from Mexico

There are many "Internet Telephony" service providers. The biggest, and best known is "Skype", a company owned by Ebay.

We'll use Skype for this example.

Download the Skype software which is free. It looks very much like "Chat" software (e.g. MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, AOL Messenger) and works in the same way.

Once you download the software, you sign-up (free) for a Skype account. You'll choose an ID, which is also your "Skype telephone number" -- the ID people will use to call you and which others will see when you call them.

All your contacts and personal settings are saved on Skype's servers, so your "telephone book" is accessible from anywhere in the world using the Skype software -- you don't have to use your computer to access your Skype Internet telephony account! This is identical to Messenger services.

The software is like a "digital telephone"; it enables you to dial out using a key-pad or direct from your list of contacts. Other services are available also and many more are being added. Here is a summary of Skype's features; most internet telephony providers offer similar services:

Calls between Skype users (i.e. Skype-Skype calls) are totally free of charge right now. But you can still make calls to people using normal phones...

SkypeOut -- you can buy credit for your account using a charge card or PayPal (PayPal is also owned by Ebay). Call charges are very low and enable you call from your computer to regular phone lines as well as mobile calls to most countries around the world. See Skype's list of countries and tariff for details.

VoiceMail -- for a small quarterly or annual fee, you can have a Skype voicemail, so that when you are not online, people can leave you voice messages.

Skype ReDirect - you can opt to re-direct your incoming Skype calls to a regular phone line, so if you're not online, the calls are delivered to a regular phone number -- anywhere in the world! The re-direct charge is the same low rate per minute that Skype charges for SkypeOut calls.

Conference Calls - Skype enables you to conference with up to 9 other people, whether they are Skype users (free) or on regular or mobile phones (using SkypeOut and charged at low SkypeOut rates).

High Speed Internet Lines

You MUST have a high-speed or WiFi (wireless) internet connection to make Internet telephony calls. Dial-up internet access will not work.

Internet Cafes

Use local internet cafe's to make long distance calls using your Skype account. Either carry your headset with you and log-in to your Skype account at the cafe or ask the attendant if they have headsets you may borrow or rent.

Hotel Connections

Many hotels in Mexico now offer high speed internet access over WiFi or ethernet wired connections. In either event, you may be able to make calls via Skype and other internet telephony services from your hotel room. Just log-in to your (Skype) account and dial in the normal way.

Public WiFi Connections

Coffee Shops, Hotel Lobbies, Airports and other public places are increasingly offering WiFi (wireless internet) access. You can usually use WiFi to make and receive internet telephony calls using your Laptop compute; the WiFi signal will need to be quite strong for a good quality voice call.

Blog Article: WiFi Access in Mexico

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Cell Phones - Mobile Phones in Mexico

Mexico has an extensive cellular telephone network. One side-effect of Telmex spun-off its mobile operations into a separate company called America Movil and their service in Mexico is called 'Telcel'. The other main operators are 'IUSACell' and Spain's 'Movistar' (owned by Telefonica).

Telcel has by far the most extensive network coverage. Outside of big cities and major towns, Telcel may be the only network available, although the others are developing their networks in more remote regions.

Rates from and to cell phones in Mexico are predictably high, especially in comparison with land-line calls. Mexico is divided up into "roaming regions" and when you travel outside of your phone's "home region" charges begin to escalate.

The three big operators are often offering discount packages and deals so check locally to see what offer suits your personal needs best.

• Contract Cell Phones
• Pre-Pay Cell Phone Kits
• Traveler's SIMM Cards for use in Mexico
• Cell Phone Rental in Mexico
• Roaming with Your Home Cell Phone
• Calls to Cell Phones in Mexico

Contract Cell Phones

If you are in Mexico for a longer period of time, you may elect to buy a contract phone. Contracts offer lower call charges but come with a line rental and minimum contract terms (12-24 months minimum, are typical).

Pre-Pay Cell Phone Kits

Pre-Pay phone "kits" offer easy access to the phone network without the need for a contract or minimum term. However, the call and roaming charges are the highest.

For between US$40-$80, you can buy a "phone kit" that comes with a phone, charger and, usually, up to half the cost price in air time included.

You can buy top-up cards in many places which can be used to increase your call credit any time (the credit must be used within 60 days), and the network system gives you the option of English to manage your account (check balances, add call credit, etc).

Credit Top-up cards come in denominations of MX$100, 200, 300 and 500, and there is often a promotion which will credit the amount on the card plus an extra percentage, effectively offering discount on your call charges. Check locally for details as offers are changing constantly.

Note: You will not be able to use this phone outside of Mexico, as the phones sold in the kits are "locked" for use only in Mexico.

Traveler's "SIMM" Cards for Use in Mexico

A number of companies offer a "traveler's SIMM card service". SIMM cards are little chips which are the "brain" of modern cell phones. These chips hold the phone's number as well as call credit, account details etc. They are often inter-changeable between different phones.

This means that you may be able to use your own cell phone when you travel by substituting the SIMM inside of it while you are in Mexico. Some services offer deep discount rates in comparison to calls made with "phone kit" cell phones purchased locally (see above) and are certainly less expensive than roaming with your home-based phone in Mexico (see below).

If your phone is of the GSM (Global System for Mobile) type, the SIMM may be interchange-able right away. You pop your "home" SIMM out, pop the "mexico" SIMM in, and when you're in Mexico, your phone will be able pick up and use Mexican cell phone networks.

Most services enable you to "top-up" you Mexico SIMM call credit online, so if you run out of credit while you're traveling, you can add more using a charge card and any internet connection.

Cell phone and Mobile Phone Rental in Mexico

There are various agencies which rent mobile telephones in Mexico. Many good hotels now have mobile phone rental agency booths in their lobby.

In order to be able to rent a mobile phone in Mexico, you must present identification and have a credit card. They will take an imprint of your credit card as collateral for the phone.

A small daily charge is made for the phone (which may or may not include insurance for it - so check!), and thereafter you pay for the calls. Charges vary depending on where you are calling to and at what time of day it is. If you roam with your phone outside of Mexico City, or make international calls - charges are likely to escalate significantly - so do check beforehand!

With the advent of "phone kits", "traveler's SIMM" services and international roaming (see information above), cell phone rental is not as widespread or popular as it used to be a few years ago.

Roaming with Your Home Cell Phone

If you have a "Tri Band" mobile phone, you can now take it with you and use it in Mexico using the GSM (Global System for Mobile) network in Mexico, provided that your telephony provider back home has enabled international roaming on your account and has a reciprocal arrangement with the operator in Mexico. Two of Mexico's wireless operators use the GSM system - Telcel, the local subsidiary of America Movil and by far the largest, and Telefonica, which operates under the Movistar brand. This means that users of GSM phones (Europe, Australia, et al) can take their phones to Mexico and use them as if they were at home.

Beware! The roaming charges are really high: if you are a company user with an allowance, your allowance may get used up faster than you think; if the phone is for personal use, it's probably best to keep the phone in hand for emergencies and short calls home.

Calls to Cell Phones and Mobiles in Mexico

Mexico has certain (complicated) protocols for dialing to and from cell phones. See the next section -- Dialing Phone numbers in Mexico -- for full details.

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Mexico Dialing Codes and Protocols

Mexico Dialing Codes

In November 2001, Mexico's telephone exchange numbers underwent a major upgrade. Refer to the Telephone Dialing Codes Table for Mexico for a list of cities and dialing codes for cities and towns in Mexico.

Calls to and From Mexican Phones (Land Lines)

Local Calls - To make local calls, ignore the area code, and dial direct, just as you would do at home. Note that major cities' numbers have EIGHT numbers and other places have SEVEN numbers.

National Calls - Dial 01 which is the prefix for all non-local calls in Mexico, followed by the area code, followed by telephone number.

International Calls - To access a number outside of Mexico, you need to prefix the number with 00 (the international access code) then the country code, and then the national area code (omitting the first zero if there is one), and then the local number.

Dialing TO Mexico From overseas - Dial the International access code (in most cases this is 00, in the USA it is 010) followed by Mexico's country code (52), the area code in Mexico (see National Calls, above) and then the seven or eight digit local number.

Calling Toll-Free Numbers in the USA from Mexico:

If you are in Mexico and you want to contact someone in the USA who is advertising a toll-free number, you will need to dial:

"001" then the 10 digit 800 number excluding the 1

For example: 001-800 123 4567 or, e.g. 001-880-123 4567.

Calls to Mexican Mobile Phones in Mexico and from Abroad

Mexico has certain protocols (rules) for dialing to and from cell phones.

Dialing Cell Phones From a Land line in Mexico

If you are calling a cell phone from a land line within Mexico, the number will be preceded by a 3 digit access code, thus:

For calls to a local cellphone (that is, a cell phone with an area code which is the same as the land-line's), dial 044 then the 10-digit number of the mobile phone. The caller will be charged for the full cost of the call.

For calls to a non-local domestic cellphone (that is, a cell phone with a Mexican area code which is different from the land-line's area code) dial 045 followed by the 10-digit mobile number, and the entire cost of the call will be charged to the caller if the mobile phone is in its home area.

For the latest prices on telephony in Mexico connect to the Mexico Price Index on Mexperience.

Dialing Cell Phones From a Mexican Cell Phone in Mexico

If you are calling a cell phone phone from another cell phone, just dial the area code followed by the mobile number.

Dialing a Cell Phone in Mexico from Outside Mexico

Under changes made in the calling-party-pays system, as of Nov. 4, 2006, if you are calling a Mexican cell phone from overseas, you should dial your country's international access code, followed by Mexico's country code (52), then add a "1", then the mobile phone's area code and its number. The full charge of the call will be made to the caller.

For example, if the cell phone number in Mexico is listed as 044 55 1234 5678, you would ignore the "044" or "045" (see notes above about these codes), and place a "1" in its stead. Then you would dial the area code (55) and then the number (1234 5678).

So, from the USA/CA, you would dial: 010 52 1 55 1234 5678

And from Europe you would dial: 00 52 1 55 1234 5678

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Internet and Email Access in Mexico

High Speed internet lines (ADSL) is now widely available in most towns and cities in Mexico, which is making Internet access ubiquitous in many offices, homes and other public spaces.

Note about Port 25 for Email Access

Many Internet service providers world-wide are 'shutting down' Port 25, the port most commonly used to send email. Telmex, Mexico's dominant Telco, is one of them. Read this blog article: Email Access in Mexico, for details.

High Speed Internet (Broadband ADSL) in Mexico

Telmex, Mexico's incumbent and dominant telephone company, has invested heavily in the creation and delivery of a high speed internet network across Mexico. Their ADSL service, with a trade name of "Infinitum" is relatively expensive but good. Subscribers to their ADSL service may also use the "Prodigy" WiFI access, available at some shops, restaurants and most airports, free of charge using their client ID and password.

WiFi Access on the move in Mexico City and elsewhere

A number of stand-along WiFi services are available, which may be especially useful if you are traveling or don't have access to a land-based high speed internet connection.

eGo is a private company offering WiFi services in Mexico City in return for a subscription fee. Also, many coffee shops (especially the independent ones) offer free WiFi access to customers, mirroring the service provided in many coffee houses throughout the USA. Hotels and some restaurants are also beginning to offer the service -- ask locally or use your Laptop to scan for available networks.

Note that, unlike the USA, most hotels make an additional charge for WiFi/Internet access at the hotel.

Important! Open WiFi networks (whether in Mexico or anywhere else in the world) are NOT secure connections, and what you send and receive may be eavesdropped by others.

Blog Article: WiFi Access in Mexico

Internet Cafes

Just about every town and city in Mexico has at least one Internet Cafe, where you can surf the web and check for email online, for example, if you have a yahoo or hotmail email account, or if your Internet Service Provider enables you to access your email through a web page.

Look for signs reading "Acceso a Internet" or "Cibernautica" or "Cibercafe". Charges range from approx. US$1 an hour to US$3 an hour, depending on the location.

As more people travel with laptops and WiFi connections become more frequent, the role of the Internet Cafe has less importance now than it did a few years ago. However, many people still want to travel without lugging computer equipment (especially on vacation) and Internet Cafes also provide 'community services' for travelers, food and drink, long distance phone call services, and local knowledge and contacts for people, and are not likely to disappear any time soon.

Internet Access for Longer Stays in Mexico

If you plan to stay in Mexico a while, perhaps rent an apartment or share a house, live and work, enjoy a retirement in Mexico, or perhaps invest in your own home in Mexico, you can opt to rent dial-up or high-speed (ADSL) Internet access from Telmex (the biggest) or other service providers. With dial-up, you pay a monthly charge plus the cost of accessing the local call, regardless of how long the call lasts (or until the network logs you out).

Broadband / High Speed Internet (ADSL) is becoming increasingly popular and widespread in Mexico too (see first heading of this section for details): it's often better value for money than dial-up because in Mexico, you pay for each call you make to a dial-up internet service and, at the end of the month, the call charges plus the fixed service service charge for dial-up internet can often equal or exceed the high-speed "all inclusive" monthly rental cost.

If you are staying in Mexico City, the eGo service provides extensive coverage around the city. You will need a special modem (antenna) which connects to your computer via a USB port. The company provides the equipment as part of the service. The company offers monthly and yearly contracts.

Blog Articles: Communications in Mexico

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The Postal Service in Mexico

You'll find a post office (Oficina de Correos) in almost every town and in every city in Mexico.

Stamps can be bought from post offices or stamp machines, located outside the post offices, at bus stations, airports and some commercial establishments (but not many).

Airmail letters will have to be weighed at the post office and stamps to the postage value bought.

For urgent items and packages of high value, it's probably best to use a courier (like FedEx or UPS instead).

If you're sending a package internationally (perhaps something you bought in Mexico that you want to post home to avoid carrying it), take the package OPEN to the post office, they may want to inspect it. Seal it up at the post office. Remember that the local customs office in your home country will inspect all inward parcels; so if the item is of high value, you could end up paying import duties and sales tax at your doorstep back home.

Delivery times will vary; but a letter or postcard from Mexico will take about a week to get to the US/Canada, between 1 and 2 weeks to make its way back to Europe or Australia. Parcels in the regular post may take a little longer. Couriers can get parcels to / from the US within 12 hours (best), Europe within about 48 hours (best) - but it is considerably more expensive.

Mexico's Postal Service often gets a "bad press", but in our experience the service is realiable for letters, postcards, greetings cards, et al. Items sent from abroad to Mexico City can arrive within a few short days; if they are being taken out to Mexico's provinces, this can add a week or more delay to their delivery time. Items which are critical or of high value should be sent by courier.

Receiving Letter Post in Mexico

Despite the bad press, Mexico's postal service is not as bad as people make it out to be. It is fair to say that the service is more realiable in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey (Mexico's big cities), and larger, more industrialized cities, than in provincial towns and villages.

As for getting letter post delivered to your home, Mexico employs a small army of postal delivery personnel (the majority are men) who ride motorcycles delivering letters to domestic addresses. They will leave letters in your letter box, or slide them under your door. Some apartment blocks have individual letter boxes: usually the letters for a whole building are left 'en bloc' so that residents (or the porter if there is one) can sort them out.

If the postal worker has a letter or package to be signed for, they will either knock on the door if it's an apartment or, more frequently for house deliveries, blow a flute-like whistle (it has a distinctive sound). You will need to present some official form of ID to sign for documents. If no one can sign for the package, then a card will be left giving details of where you can pick up the item.

Note that foreign and Mexican driving licences are generally not accepted as official ID now: you'll need to show your passport, your FM3/FM2 visa or, if you have one, the IFE card (Mexican electoral register ID). It's a good idea to take your passport and your visa if you are picking up an item from the local post sorting center, else you may have to make a return trip.

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Sending and Receiving Faxes in Mexico

With the advent of Email, faxing is becoming a thing of the past.

However, some things are still best (or required to be) sent by fax - especially copies of official documents, bank transfer requests, and other items that need to have a visible signature on them, for example.

Papelerias are small stationery shops, and they often offer a fax bureau facility as part of their services. Also, look out for signs that read "Fax Publico" (Public Fax) at shops and kiosks. All major (and even smaller) Hotels will also provide a fax service.

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