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internet connection and cell phones?
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Olivia



Joined: 04 Jun 2004
Posts: 35

PostPosted: Sat Jul 17, 2004 12:45 am    Post subject: internet connection and cell phones? Reply with quote

Hey there,

I was wondering if any of you living in Mexico, or those who have lived in Mexico, could tell me roughly a price of setting up an internet connection and then the monthly price?

I plan on bringing my own laptop and webcam.

Any advice? Is it a good idea?

Also - what range are cell phone charges in? What are the rates per minute, and for text messages? What are the major companies that supply these services?

I will be living in Monterrey, if anyone has specifically experienced living there, if not I would love to hear about people's experiences with internet and cell phones in other cities.

Thanks!

Olivia
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chula



Joined: 11 Nov 2003
Posts: 65
Location: Culiac�n, Sinaloa, M�xico

PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2004 7:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As far as cell phones, it kinda depends on how fancy you want to be and where you want to call. Phones range in price from about fifty USD to 400 USD. My was around a hundrend and works fine. For local calls, cell to cell, it{s pretty cheap (I htink it{s like 10 or 20 cents a minute), for local calls cell to house or house to cell, it{s more expensive (like 50 cents a minute or something), and for international calls it{s in your best interest not to use them unless it{s an absolute emergency. Even if they call you, and international call will result in charges of like a dollar a minute for both parties. As for usage, there are two systems to pay. Almost everyone I know uses the Amigo kit. With that you prepare for your minutes by buying a card at the minimart or little shops. Then you put it into your phone account. You have to use the minutes within 2 months OR you have to add minutes. If you add time, the left over minutes will also be transferred. You an set up so that if you consistently call a few cell phones in your area, the calls to those phones will be pretty cheap. Text messages only cost 1 peso each, which is like 10 cents, so that{s what most people who are on a budget use most often.
Hope that gives you some idea of phones here.
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Olivia



Joined: 04 Jun 2004
Posts: 35

PostPosted: Wed Jul 21, 2004 5:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks Chula!!

Now if only someone could answer my question about the internet...
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ls650



Joined: 10 May 2003
Posts: 3484
Location: British Columbia

PostPosted: Wed Jul 21, 2004 9:53 pm    Post subject: Re: internet connection and cell phones? Reply with quote

Olivia wrote:
I was wondering if any of you living in Mexico, or those who have lived in Mexico, could tell me roughly a price of setting up an internet connection and then the monthly price?

I plan on bringing my own laptop and webcam.


I _would_ tell you, but some thieves relieved me of my laptop computer just 3 days after I moved into my apartment here... Sad Thankfully it was a ratty old P200 worth only a couple of hundred US.

If your computer is of substantial value, I recommend you have insurance.
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moonraven



Joined: 24 Mar 2004
Posts: 3094

PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 12:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think I have said this in other threads on this forum: A laptop makes you a target anywhere in Latin America. If you bring one, bring a used one that's not worth much.
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Olivia



Joined: 04 Jun 2004
Posts: 35

PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 1:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the heads up.

I realize the risk of bringing a laptop with me to Mexico, however I plan not to remove it from my house. I plan to have it locked down to one place with a lock to make it more difficult to be stolen.

If I keep it concealed while getting into my apartment, and then not remove it from there will I still be a target?

Has anyone gotten a pc hooked up to the internet in Mexico?
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Ben Round de Bloc



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1946

PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 1:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Olivia wrote:
I realize the risk of bringing a laptop with me to Mexico, however I plan not to remove it from my house. I plan to have it locked down to one place with a lock to make it more difficult to be stolen.


My laptop was stolen out of my house -- from a bedroom on the second floor with the bedroom and house doors locked and one of those cable-lock devices locking the computer to the hammock holder thingy (no idea what it would be called in English) built into the wall. I'm pretty sure that the thief was one of the neighbors who was living in the house next door to mine at the time.
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lozwich



Joined: 25 May 2003
Posts: 1536

PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 5:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Olivia wrote:
Has anyone gotten a pc hooked up to the internet in Mexico?


Olivia, take a look at the Telmex website (something like www.telmex.com.mx) they are an ISP as well as being the phone company. Prodigy is the other major internet company. If where you live is anywhere like where I did, your biggest problem will be getting a house with a phone line.

Suerte,
Lozwich.
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moonraven



Joined: 24 Mar 2004
Posts: 3094

PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 10:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think it's a little questionable to try to bring your world/lifestyle with you to another country. As I am a writer as well as a teacher, I brought a pc with me when I moved here (I drove here.) When it becameonselete I gave it away to some kids. I haven't bothered to buy another pc, nor a laptop. I always jhave had a pc wherever I have worked. And I also use Internet cafes, which are plentiful all over Latin America. If I don't need a computer of my own--and I am always working on at least 2 books as well as articles and trying to keep u pmy weblog--why should you?
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Olivia



Joined: 04 Jun 2004
Posts: 35

PostPosted: Fri Jul 23, 2004 8:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Moonraven,

Thanks for your take on the situation.

Different folks, different strokes.

Smile
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seanie



Joined: 28 Nov 2003
Posts: 54
Location: m�xico

PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 2:25 pm    Post subject: just ignore moonraven:-) Reply with quote

Hi Olivia,

Back from the hols, so only just seeing your post.

I think Telmex has a monopoly on land lines. They have been boasting about not raising their prices over the last few years, so it will probably still cost you 1, 299.50 pesos to get a phone installed (that's 1,130.00 pesos plus 15% tax...what I paid in 2001)

You just go into Telmex and tell them where you live. They look up in a big fat book and tell you whether there are "lines" available or not. If there are, you can pay right there and then. I live in a small town. Here it takes about 2 weeks to get the phone (although they tell you it will take "between 1 and 90 days"). I have no idea if things are faster or slower in a big city like Monterrey. If there are no lines, well you may have to wait for a long time. When you are looking at places to rent, this could be one of the considerations. Just jot down the addresses and check them out with Telmex. Of course, you might just find a place that already has a phone.

Once you have your phone, monthly rent is 156.55 pesos. You also get 100 local calls free...that is, calls within your city. Local calls after the first 100 will cost you 1.48 pesos each, but from my bills it appears to be a flat rate; so you can talk for as long as you like, it's still 1.48. Anyway, you need to know this because your local calls will include your Internet connections, if you have a dial-up connection. But I'm a pretty heavy Net user, and I've only gone over a hundred twice in over 3 years. (By the way, the prices I've quoted are BEFORE the 15% tax).

Telmex also gives you what's known as a "LADA discount" every month, so you get something back (right!)...another thing you can do is give them a "LADA Favourite destination (2 cities in the States and 2 countries). For example, I call Florida for only 3 pesos a minute any time of day and Spain for 5 pesos...not all countries are "available"....I couldn't make Jamaica a Favourite. If you set up this Lada Favourite thingie, however, you lose you LADA discount.

For Internet, there appear to be two big providers: Prodigy and AOL. AOL isn't available all over the country, but I'm pretty sure it's in a city the size of Monterrey. I don't know what they charge though. Prodigy, you can contract through Telmex. You don't even have to go in (except to get the toll-free number to call). You call Prodigy and they guide you through the steps on the phone. Voila, you've got Internet. (If you don't speak Spanish, get a trusted friend to help you...or, I guess, you could take your laptop in to the Telmex office.) The bill for Prodigy service is integrated with the Telmex bill, so you pay Internet and monthly phone charges at the same time. You can pay for one year's Net service. That's 1,500 pesos. Or you can pay a monthly fee of 189 pesos. Add 15% to both.

Whether you use a laptop or a desktop, always use a "regulador". I brought a surge protector to use with my laptop, but the power supply was so unstable that the red light was almost constantly on and no power was going into the notebook. I stupidly plugged straight into the wall and after about 6 months of this the power thingie got damaged. The thieves didn't get it, but my stupidity did.

One more thing: Desktop computers in Mexico are relatively cheap. You might consider looking into them. I'm not talking about the brands you are used to like Dell and Compaq. Those are sky high. But here in Mexico, asembled, "no-name" computers are big business. You can get a brand new fast, internet-ready computer with CD burner for less than 400 dollars. There are companies that will assemble the computer according to your specifications. If you're interested, I'll give you a couple of websites to check out.

Good luck!
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saraswati



Joined: 30 Mar 2004
Posts: 200

PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 3:02 pm    Post subject: Internet Reply with quote

Avantel is another company that offers internet connections. You may want the compare their prices to that of Prodigy.

I'd also like to add that it's not only important to have a regulator but to unplug your computer from it when it's not in use. Last year, a power surge fried not only the power thingy on my computer but also my regulator. Sad
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MixtecaMike



Joined: 19 Nov 2003
Posts: 643
Location: Guatebad

PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 3:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

moonraven wrote:
I think it's a little questionable... blah blah blah,...

A warning to new posters asking questions.

Moonraven is a nasty old bird who thinks everybody who comes to Mexico is a washed up old hippie like herself. She seems to post mainly to promote herself, look here how she manages to say she is a writer who is continously working on two books, plus she is a wonderful generous person giving her out-of-date trash to poor Mexican children.

She is also allegedly a "native Canadian," a holder of three degrees from different US universities, the former owner of the most valuable vocho in Mexican history, dean of some university in South America, singlehandedly responsible for the preservation of pre-colonial Oaxacan history, has been offered every decent job in Mexico in the past 20 years, the list of her alleged acheivements goes on and on and on.

Many many Mexicans have computers and love to use internet and I'm sure they are no less Mexican for that. Moonbeast, you are welcome to hang out in an internet cafe while you pretend to write books that nobody wants to read, but give us all a break and stop trying to promote yourself as the great white defender of Mexican culture.
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scott wilhelm



Joined: 09 Feb 2004
Posts: 63
Location: st louis, mo

PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 11:03 pm    Post subject: phone and internet connections Reply with quote

Here in the U.S. I use a cell phone as my only phone. Is this a good idea in Mexico ? Also, I use computers in public libraries because I just don't want to spend the money for a computer or monthly internet service. Most of the internet bars, lounges ,etc here in St. Louis are out of business. Can they still be found in abundance in Mexico ?
Thanks,
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moonraven



Joined: 24 Mar 2004
Posts: 3094

PostPosted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 11:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mixteca Mike: I definitely do not think everyone who comes to Mexico is like me. There are jerks like you, for example--who hate being here but don't have the courage to go someplace else. Unfortunately, wherever you go, there you are....
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