Mexico’s telephone system is one of the best in Latin America. Penetration of land-lines never reached those of the US or Canada, and probably never will, the advent of mass-market cellular telephones in the mid 1990’s meant that people turned to wireless connections and demand for land-lines declined, especially in more remote areas.
Mexico offers a wide array of phone services from plain land-line telephone services to high-speed internet (ADSL) as well as the latest GSM and 3rd Generation (“3G”) mobile technologies.
Mexico’s major telephone operator, Telmex, 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, charges are still high by American and Canadian standards
Another option is to make voice calls through user-friendly services such as Skype and Vonage, this means that users of high-speed internet can altogether avoid high-cost long-distance phone charges, the down side of course, if you´re out sightseeing this won´t be a viable option.
In areas 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.
Long distance calls, line rentals, and high-speed internet rental (ADSL) are fairly expensive in Mexico, mostly due to the near-monopoly currently enjoyed by Telmex, the country´s leading telephone service and internet provider.
From your Hotel
The majority of 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 usually is the case in 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 least, very low. Some hotels in Mexico often make a fixed-fee charge of around US$1 for a ‘free’ call, regardless of the duration.
Public Phones
Telmex also manages most of the pay phones in Mexico. Coin operated phones are extremely rare for local calls and reverse charge calls. Most pay phones in Mexico only operate with pre-paid phone cards.
You can purchase 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 somewhat lowered 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 and using any private or public phone to make calls using the access numbers on them.
The local Puerto Vallarta landline numbers are 7 digit numbers just like in the US and Canada. To call a local cell phone you have to dial 044 before the PV area code (322) and the 7 digit number.
Frequent visitors often opt to purchase an inexpensive pre-paid card cellular phone, some couples even purchase two, in case they ever get separated or have different activities while in Puerto Vallarta. They can be purchased for as little as 400 Pesos (about 35 USD). If people in the US or Canada need to reach you, they could. This is much less expensive than using a US or Canadian phone paying roaming charges.
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