Area Codes and Local Numbers

All area codes in Mexico now have three digits, except for Mexico City (area code 55). You may occasionally see phone numbers written using older numbering systems. The number 612/142-4274 in La Paz, for example, appeared as 1/142-4274 in 2000, and as 114/2-4274 before that year.

As of November 2001, all telephone numbers in both states of Baja California, and most phone numbers elsewhere in Mexico, consist of seven digits. This means if you are in La Paz and intend to call what would formerly have been written as 114/2-4274 or 1/142-4274 under one of the earlier systems, you must now dial 612/142-4274.

There’s no standard way of hyphenating the numbers in Mexico. You may see the number in our La Paz example written as 1424274, 14-24274, 14-24-274, and so on.

Long-Distance Domestic Calls

To make a long-distance call within Mexico, dial 01 plus the area code and number.

If you have a calling-card number for Sprint, AT&T, MCI, Bell Canada, or British Telecom, you can use it to make long-distance calls. Each has its own access code for direct dialing.

Mobile Phones

Most of the Cape Region now enjoys reliable mobile phone access through two competing companies: Telcel and Moviestar. Telcel has better coverage and lower rates. For extended stays in Baja, during which you plan to make a number of local calls, buying a low cost GSM phone and prepaid cards can make sense. Using it to call the United States will cost a fortune, unless you are a Cingular/AT&T customer in the United States.

Two U.S. carriers offer North America plans that include calling to/from Mexico to the U.S.: Cingular (www.cingular.com/mexico) charges US$4.99/month and US$0.59/minute for roaming in Mexico. Verizon (www.verizonwireless.com/international) partners with Moviestar to offer North America calling for US$60/month for 450 minutes, and US$0.45/minute after the monthly allowance. International roaming on a standard U.S. plan through Verizon costs US$0.69/minute. Text messaging is not supported.

In 2007, rates for calling a Mexican cell phone from the United States jumped about US$0.17 cents a minute, due to changes in the Mexican government’s regulation of the telephone industry. Also, a caller-pays policy began in 2006. When calling a Mexican cell phone number from the United States, it’s now necessary to add a 1 after the country code: 52 1 612/xxx-xxxx. Within Mexico, you need to add 044 before the area code: 044 612/xxx-xxxx.

International Calls

To direct dial an international call to the United States or Canada via TelMex, dial 001 plus the area code and number for a station-to-station call. For international calls to other countries, dial 00 plus the country code, area code, and number. For operator-assisted calls, dial 09 plus the country code, area code, and number. Long-distance international calls are heavily taxed and cost more than equivalent international calls from the United States or Canada.

To reach toll-free 800 numbers in Mexico, dial 01 first. Dial 001 first for numbers in the United States, or 091 for Canada.

Internet Phones

In areas with Internet access, voice-over-IP (VoIP) calling is fast replacing the need for satellite phones and Ladatel cards. Skype (www.skype.com), Gizmo VoIP (www.gizmovoip.com), and Crystal Voice (www.crystalvoice.com) are three of many service providers out there. Rates are about US$0.01–0.03 per minute, plus an account setup fee of around US$10. Some companies include a free U.S. number for family and friends back home to dial while you are on the road.

Long Distance the Old-Fashioned Way

If you don’t have access to the Internet, you can dial access numbers to reach operators from AT&T, MCI, or Sprint for calling-card or credit card calls. For Canada Direct, dial 01 800/010-1990, and for BT Direct dial *791 (see the sidebar Telephone Codes).

The appropriate long-distance operator can then place a collect call on your behalf or charge the call to your account if you have a calling card for that service. If you try these numbers from a hotel phone, be sure the hotel operator realizes the call is toll-free; some hotel operators use their own timers to assess phone charges.

Warning: Since the deregulation of Mexican telephone service, several unscrupulous U.S.-based long-distance phone companies have set up shop in Mexico to take advantage of undiscerning tourists. The English-language signs next to the phone usually read “Call the U.S. or Canada Collect or With a Credit Card” or “Just Dial Zero to Reach the U.S. or Canada.” Another clue is that the name of the company is not posted on the sign. If you try asking the operators on the line who they represent, you’ll find the same company often operates under several different names in the same area, charging at least 50 percent more per international call than TelMex, AT&T, MCI, or Sprint—or even many times more, as much as US$10–20 for the first minute, plus US$4 each additional minute, even on weekends. A percentage of these charges usually goes to the hotel or private phone office offering the service. At most private phone offices, it’s cheaper to use TelMex, even if you have to pay a service charge on top of TelMex rates, than to use these price-gouging U.S. companies. Or use MCI, Sprint, AT&T, or one of the other more well-known international companies, which charge around US$0.15–0.35/minute. Unless you’re independently wealthy, always ask which company is being used before you arrange an international call through a hotel or private phone office. Some Mexican hotels are now cooperating with these cutthroat American companies—the tip-off is a card next to the phone that says you can use credit cards to make a call to the United States or Canada.

Collect Calls

For international service, calling collect often saves hassles. In Spanish, the magic words are por cobrar (collect), prefaced by the name of the place you’re calling (e.g., “a los Estados Unidos, por favor—por cobrar”). This connects you to an English-speaking international operator. For best results, speak slowly and clearly. You may reach an international operator directly by dialing 090.

Satellite Phone

For the many areas of Baja where there are no regular telephone lines, no radio phones, no Internet, and no cellular phone service, the only solution is satellite phone—assuming you have to stay in phone contact at all times. California Baja Rent-a-Car rents GPS-satellite phones, as does Discover Baja Travel Club (3089 Clairemont Dr., San Diego, CA 92117, U.S. tel. 619/275-1836 or 800/727-2252, www.discoverbaja.com).

© Nikki Goth Itoi from Moon Baja, 9th Edition