I'd glossed over the phone issues, and Christi is on target there.
We were able to get a Cablemas plan with "unlimited" (500 minutes per month) calls to the US and Canada before we had residency. The plan was in our name. The ability to do this without residency may have changed since then.
We've switched to Telmex. When we went to the office to do that in May they wanted a comprobante for proof of address but didn't ask either of us for proof of residency status, a CURP, or anything else. They did actually send someone out to our house to confirm the physical location before signing us up, though.
I do think T-Mobile is probably the best bet for people who want to use a US phone number without going bankrupt. My brother has it and it's seamless for him to use in Cozumel. We have Sprint which now treats calls and texts within the Canada/US/Mexico region the same - everything is a local call and whatever minutes or texts are included in ones plan are included while in Mexico. Data is a different thing, though, and after the first gigabyte is charged at a high rate. Verizon has a similar arrangement.
We use Telcel Amigo plans, so we haven't actually used Sprint on the island. We don't need to be able to receive calls on a US number, and the Amigo pay-as-you-go is cheap and meets our needs. For business use, a monthly plan might make more sense. When we first got our Telcel numbers, one had to supply a CURP (similar to a Social Security Number) even for an Amigo plan which meant our numbers were registered to the kid at the phone store. When we got some additional ones at the official customer service center that opened on the island the registration requirement had lapsed. My plan is certainly in my name and I keep getting offers to switch to a monthly plan, but I've never given Telcel my CURP.
TL
R version: telecommunication in Mexico is possible but complicated and no one solution will predictably be best.
We were able to get a Cablemas plan with "unlimited" (500 minutes per month) calls to the US and Canada before we had residency. The plan was in our name. The ability to do this without residency may have changed since then.
We've switched to Telmex. When we went to the office to do that in May they wanted a comprobante for proof of address but didn't ask either of us for proof of residency status, a CURP, or anything else. They did actually send someone out to our house to confirm the physical location before signing us up, though.
I do think T-Mobile is probably the best bet for people who want to use a US phone number without going bankrupt. My brother has it and it's seamless for him to use in Cozumel. We have Sprint which now treats calls and texts within the Canada/US/Mexico region the same - everything is a local call and whatever minutes or texts are included in ones plan are included while in Mexico. Data is a different thing, though, and after the first gigabyte is charged at a high rate. Verizon has a similar arrangement.
We use Telcel Amigo plans, so we haven't actually used Sprint on the island. We don't need to be able to receive calls on a US number, and the Amigo pay-as-you-go is cheap and meets our needs. For business use, a monthly plan might make more sense. When we first got our Telcel numbers, one had to supply a CURP (similar to a Social Security Number) even for an Amigo plan which meant our numbers were registered to the kid at the phone store. When we got some additional ones at the official customer service center that opened on the island the registration requirement had lapsed. My plan is certainly in my name and I keep getting offers to switch to a monthly plan, but I've never given Telcel my CURP.
TL
R version: telecommunication in Mexico is possible but complicated and no one solution will predictably be best.
) I know mine worked for a while before it started asking for a CURP.
