When you come to Mexico on vacation or to live here, you will be looking for inexpensive mobile communications. The tariff for mobile communication services in Mexico is much higher than, say, in Ukraine or Russia.
There are many mobile operators in Mexico, however, only a few can be considered large. ThisTelcel, an industry leader,MovistarandAT&T.
Calls and SMS within Mexico are never charged and almost never limited, and even if they are, these limits are more than enough for daily communication.
The basic cost is for mobile Internet, and it is this service that all mobile operators focus on. The tariff of a monthly mobile communication service package most often depends only onmobile traffic volumeincluded in this package. Traffic to social networks (Facebook, Twitter, less often Instagram, Pinterest, etc.), instant messengers (WatsApp) is not charged, and sometimes traffic from Youtube, Netflix, Snapchat, Uber, etc. is not charged.
All Mexican operators operate in 2G, 3G, 4G LTE standards. The 2G standard is being phased out as obsolete.
You can use the links above to view the monthly plans offered by mobile operators. Their prices range from 199 MXN (1000 MB per month) to 299 MXN (4000 MB) for Telcel, from 219 MXN (4000 MB) to 589 MXN (10000 MB) for Movistar and from 200 MXN (2000 MB for 35 days) for AT&T. Tariff prices are subject to change. There are often all kinds of promotions, bonuses, etc., when you can receive additional traffic for free.
At the same time, completelyunlimitedfor Internet traffic, only two operators have packages: Movistar (399 MXN per month) and Unefon (10 MXN per day, 300 MXN for 30 days).Unefon— AT&T brand, positioned as an independent budget mobile operator (although Unefon and AT&T have the same SIM cards).
We consider Unefon to be the best option for those looking for truly UNLIMITED communications in Mexico, at least in Cancun. Now we will explain why.
UPD. In 2021, Unefon has changed its policy and no longer offers fully unlimited packages. You can find an alternative by reading thispublication
Tariffing Unefon
- Calls and SMS to any numbers in Mexico, USA and Canada are not charged or limited. Yes, in the USA and Canada too!
- The only tariff — 10 MXN per day. In other words, 10 MXN are debited from your balance every day. For this money you get a guaranteed 1 GB of Internet traffic per day at speeds of up to 3 Mbit/sec. This is a real speed, although the operator declares up to 10 Mbit/s.
When you reach 1 GB, the speed drops to 500 Kbps, but the amount of traffic is not limited, and this speed is also quite enough for communicating on social networks, browsing web pages and sending letters.
- When your balance reaches zero, the services are terminated. This means that no debits will be made from you until the next top-up date.
- You have the opportunity to top up your balance with any amount divisible by 10 MXN. 10 MXN — This is the use of the operator’s services for 1 day.
- If you top up your balance with at least 70 MXN, after this money runs out, you are entitled to use traffic on WhatsApp and social networks for free for another 30 days. You can send text messages and use, for example, Facebook in limited data transfer mode, but you will not be able to transfer photos and videos.
There is one caveat here. If your balance does not have enough funds for daily debiting (that is, the balance is 0 — 9.99 MXN), you are automatically transferred to another tariff, according to which you will be charged 0.50 MXN for each call, SMS or 1 MB of traffic. To restore your unlimited package, you must top up your balance with at least 70 MXN. If you top up your balance with a smaller amount, you will continue to be charged 0.50 MXN for each event.
- If we convert the tariff price into a monthly volume, every 30 days it costs 300 MXN with a minimum of 30 GB of Internet traffic included. Thus, the lowest tariff with a large volume of guaranteed traffic — Unefon's main advantage.
Other advantages
On your mobile phone connected to Unefon, activate «Access Point» and distribute wi-fi, in particular, to your laptop. Although Unefon prohibits the sharing of Internet traffic for third-party terminal devices (computers, tablets, TVs), we have not yet seen any steps to implement this ban.
The Unefon SIM card can be purchased from manypointssales with a yellow sign «Unefon» in shopping malls, supermarkets, electronics stores, etc. Unlike Telcel and AT&T, Unefon SIM card is free. The only condition — top up your balance with at least 70 MXN. Identification documentation is also not required.
Further replenishment of the balance is allowed both at the cash desks of retail chains (OXXO, Chedraui, etc.) in cash or from a card, and on the website or in the Unefon application. The Unefon website does not always accept cards imitated by foreign banks for payment, for this reason we use the application to top up the balance from the cardMercado Pago, which, moreover, often offers preferential terms for such replenishment («pay 270 MXN — receive 300 MXN into your account»). However, the same balance replenishment system — and all other Mexican cellular operators.
Flaws
Unefon coverage provides a stable signal in large populated areas in Mexico and along federal highways. If you'll be traveling outside of Cancun, Playa del Carmen, or Tulum frequently, you'll be better off with Telcel, which has broader regional coverage. On the other hand, Unefon declares domestic roaming with other mobile operators in Mexico. In all circumstances, coverage and signal at a specific location should be checked.
When traveling to the US or Canada, Unefon will not tell you that you are roaming. In this case, charges will be made according to roaming tariffs. Turning off data on your phone while roaming will not help. Sometimes Unefon offers free limited roaming in the US and Canada, in other cases it is recommended to turn off mobile data completely.
More options
As we wrote in thismaterial, telephone numbering in Mexico is not tied to operators, but is conditionally tied to the region in which the SIM card was purchased. You can freely transfer your phone number to another mobile operator, and also get bonuses for it. Likewise, a number purchased in Cancun can be used freely throughout Mexico.
Update
Recently, another American mobile operatorVirgin Mobilebegan expansion in Mexico. Among other packages, the price of which starts from 129 MXN (for 500 MB) for 30 days of use, there is also an unlimited package for 299 MXN. There are no restrictions on calls, SMS and Internet traffic. Payment immediately in 30 days.
Moreover, as part of the promotion, Virgin Mobile offers connection and the first month of use of a fully unlimited package for half the price of 149 MXN. The tariff also includes delivery of the SIM card throughout Mexico within 1-2 days.
Virgin Mobile's 3G protocol uses Movistar's cellular network and therefore has good coverage in many parts of Mexico. Unfortunately, 4G mobile internet from Virgin Mobile is not available in Cancun. However, this is not always relevant.
You can read about mobile operators in Mexico and their tariffs in thismaterial