Cell Phone Info while in Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco)
Most people want to know if their American cellphones will work in Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco), and/or around the surrounding areas to and from the U.S..
Cellular Phones
To call a cell phone you must dial 044+1+638+number. We have found that most U.S. cellular phones do not work in Rocky Point (puerto Penasco). AT&T/Cingular (International Plan) works the best and is up 99% of the time. You can get an unlocked phone and switch chips as you cross the border either way. If you spend a fair amount of time here, you may want to look into getting a TelCel phone as it is cheaper than the U.S. Int’l plan. TelCel provides contracts and prepaid cards, which can be purchased almost anywhere.
Telefonos de Mexico (TelMex)
Juan de la Barrera and Calle 18
Office open 8:00 AM
Phone 383-2288
Another option during your vacation will be to RENT a cell phone. Save yourself some time and money and just rent a cell phone online.
A a reminder, any telephone number in Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco) that doesn’t start with a 383,388, 382 or 102 is a cellular phone. The Rocky Point city is code 638. In order to call Rocky Point cellphone from a land line, you must dial 044+1+638+7 digit number
Tips if you need to call from different cities/countries:
Call Mexico from U.S. & Canada
Dial 011+52+638+7 digit local number
Call U.S. & Canada from Mexico
Dial 001+area code+7 digit number
Collect from Mexico to U.S.
Dial 090 for a bilingual operator
Call overseas from Mexico
Dial 00+country code+city
Code+number
Call within Mexico
Dial 01+city code+number
AT&T Operator
Dial 001-800-462-4240
Long Distance
DO NOT USE THE “CALL USA” BLUE PHONES, THEY ARE VERY EXPENSIVE!
To make a long distance call, your best bet is to purchase a prepaid phone Card (LADATEL) from pharmacies or businesses, and use one of the many pay phones along the streets – follow The instructions on the phone. If you use your calling card and dial and 800# that is not toll free withing Mexico, you will be charged twice for this call – once
for calling the 800# and then again on your phone card. You may also use one of the long distance services to call the U.S. And Canada.
VOIP Lines
Thanks to the Internet, many local Business now have U.S. phone Numbers (VOIP Lines) that ring in their offices here in Mexico.
How to dial 800’s
800 numbers are not free of charge Unless it is a Mexico Toll Free #. The Charge for calling an 800# is apx. $1 USD per min.
CALL 800 #
Dial 001+880+last 7 digits of number
CALL 888 #
Dial 001+881+last 7 digits of number
CALL 877 #
Dial 001+882+last 7 digits of number
CALL 866 #
Dial 001+883+last 7 digits of number
SIM Cards in Mexico (Rocky Point)
For those visitors needing to buy SIM cards for their phones, they can be found just about anywhere in Rocky Point for about $10.
Here are some factors:
Your phone may not work at all
Several major providers - Qwest Wireless, Alltel, Nextel's non-GSM models, to name a few - simply don't work across the border in Sonora. They use different technologies and frequencies, and/or they may require activation to work on the Mexican cellular network. Many older (non-triband) phones simply won't work, period.
Info:
Cingular, T-Mobile, - yes, they can work in Penasco - but you have to call your provider and activate international service ahead of time (1 week ahead is a good idea). Verizon does not work in Penasco most of the time. Verizon's roaming partner switched technologies in Summer of 2007, and I don't believe any Verizon phones work at all in Puerto Penasco now.
With Cingular, if you are in Penasco and want to reach a US number, dial 001 + (areacode) + (number). When you're in Penasco and calling a Penasco number, you just dial 638 + number.
If you're calling 1-800 numbers in the United States from Mexico, there's something funky about that too - you must dial "001-880" and the 7-digit number you want to reach (the last 7 digits of the 1-800 number).
Call your cellphone provider and ask about SIM cards - some readers have emailed to tell me that certain providers and phones will take new SIM's that let you use your phone in Mexico. I'm trying to compile some info on exactly which models and providers have this capability.
With all other cellular phones ...
Your phone may 'roam'
... but not recieve incoming calls or text messages. This phone is essentially useless if someone has to get in touch with you in an emergency, since it becomes an 'outgoing only' phone.
Your phone may 'roam'
... but your cellular plan may hit you with excessive roaming charges. We've seen Mexican/International roam rates as high as $3/min (US). And again, depending on your provider, text messaging and data services may not function.
Your phone may 'roam' in analog mode
... but this is an amazingly bad thing to do. It is both expensive, eats up your battery, and isn't a 'secure' method of communicating.
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