The information provided in all Mexican pages are only suggestions and anecdotal stories.  The information in the Mexican pages is a generic peace of work and is meant only as a general guide, it should not be taken as absolute fact. The information provided in these pages can change at any given day.  

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Telefonos de Mexico (TELMEX), the national telephone company, is sometimes referred to (rather unkindly) as "Taco Bell". High tariffs and taxes keep long distance calls within Mexico very expensive and out-of-country calls even more so. 

Mexico is modernizing its pay telephone system, but still relies heavily on private businesses to operate "Casetas de Larga Distancias" or "Long Distance Telephone Offices". You'll find them in any town with more than 200 inhabitants. Basically, these are unregulated private telephone lines that charge the customer a set price for a calling destination and minutes of use. Some of the "Casetas" have fax service as well. An operator will place the call for you. 

The grouping of telephone numbers and area codes is completely different in Mexico, so it's best to write down your intended number in a straightforward manner. Instead of using parenthesis around the area code, entrain a series of numbers using a couple of hyphens (for example 987-654-3210.

The word "Lada" means "Area Code". The operator will ask "¿Por Cobrar?" (Collect?), or "A quien contesta?" (Station-to-station?). 

Determine the price per minute, before the call is placed, and use your own time-piece to corroborate the operator's notion of how much time that you spent on the call. Usually, the cost will run somewhere around a dollar or two (eight to sixteen pesos depending on the exchange rate) per minute. Mid-Mexico is half again per minute as expensive to call in and out of, as northern Mexico, and below Mexico City, expect to pay as much as three dollars per minute in a "Caseta de Larga Distancia" (Long Distance Booth). If the call cannot go through for some reason, a modest charge is usually applied, but shouldn't amount to more than a dollar or two. Don't forget that most of Mexico lies in the Central Time Zone.

Modern pay telephones are being installed in cities and towns by the thousands. Instead of relying on fistfuls of coins to feed a ravenous long-distance call, modern "LADATEL" pay telephones accept pre-paid Mexican "Phone Cards" cleverly sold in a nearby store in denominations of Twenty or Fifty pesos. When you spot one of the the newer phones, start looking around and you'll soon find a market or drugstore that sells the cards. Remove the receiver off of it's cradle and insert the card according to the arrow on the card. An LCD screen on the telephone box, will prompt you with information about the amount of money remaining on the card, and the number that you're dialing. 

For long distance calls outside of Mexico, dial "95" followed by the area code and seven digit telephone number you wish to speak to. For calls destined to inside Mexico, dial "91" followed by the area code (LADA) then the number you wish to speak with. Toll free 800 numbers within the USA, will cost the same as a regular long distance call. Only 800 numbers, registered with TELMEX, are truly toll-free. Note: Many "HELP!" telephone numbers for consumers and people in need of aid, are Mexico 800 toll-free numbers.

The "Blue Telephones" shamelessly advertise logos in English, stating "Call Home Collect or Visa/Master card". Offering a flawless connection through an operator (usually in Houston), one minute of communication on these phones can cost as much as Thirty Dollars!