Communication, Mexico and Phone Conversations: MetroPCS Eases Mexico/US Disconnect, Offering Unlimited Nationwide Talk at $30/Month
Conversations with the Mexican abuelos back home can be difficult. And, while Google, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Skype and every other application and online property have been helpful in keeping families in touch, many elders prefer the simplicity of phones and the uncomplicated, quick-dial two-party conversation that it enables. Fortunately for the abuelos, the non-Latino-owned but Latino-focused prepaid wireless service owned by T-Mobile US, MetroPCS, has opted to ease the communication process by offering new and existing customers (with select phones) unlimited talk and text nationwide, plus unlimited calling from the U.S. to landlines in Mexico, and unlimited texting from the U.S. to Mexico, for only $30 a month. Also, customers are able to add this unlimited Mexico calling plan to any MetroPCS plan for only $5 per month, by visiting any MetroPCS retailer nationwide.
The benefit of the MetroPCS offer, aside for the fact that it's being offered just in time for holidays such as Mother's Day and Father's Day (and Cinco de Mayo?), is that the new offer abandons a need to guard how many minutes are spent conversing with family members in Mexico. The costs normally associated with long distance calls are steep, and, often, calling cards are sometimes only nominally cheaper.
"For those people who specifically want an affordable way to stay connected with friends and family in Mexico, this offer at $30 a month for unlimited calling and texting to Mexico, is a great value," said Tom Keys, MetroPCS COO and executive vice president. "This is just one more reason why MetroPCS is the best value in wireless. Period."
With acculturation and assimilation on the rise, and Spanish-speaking Latino Millennials on the decline, this has prompted the false notion that Latinos are not attached to their native countries/the country of the ancestors. Consistent with the pattern of immigrants from Europe and Asia, Latinos have felt more inclined to stop using their native language. At the same time, however, non-Latinos have decided to grow their children as bilingual, seeing the practice as advantageous in business, in school, and for conversational flexibility. But, again, the deviation from the native language does not indicate a deviation of interest or regard for one's native country, or the traditions that were gained in the homeland.
Pew Hispanic indicates immigrants participate in a number of transnational activities, so that they may stay in contact with relatives. Most Latino immigrants (63 percent) show moderate attachment to their home country, engaging in sending remittances, telephoning relatives, or traveling back.
For decades, Latino immigrants have migrated to the U.S. with roots still deeply embedded in their countries of origins. While Colombians and Dominicans tend to maintain more active connections than Mexicans (phone calls and frequent travel back and forth) and Cubans, Mexicans are on par with Dominicans and Colombians when it comes to sending remittance home.
More than one-third of Mexicans are in frequent contact, dialing Mexico at least once a week, yet more than a quarter said they called rarely, if ever. But, for those who have relatives in Mexico, other Latin American nations, or other nations outside of the United States, the number one reason cited for failing to call home is because it's expensive. Some Mexicans even opt to simply go to Mexico because of the proximity, rather than pay high costs for phone conversations; however, unfolding violence in Mexico makes this option less plausible. Also, traveling across the border is certainly not a possibility for undocumented individuals, who fear being snared or violated by border patrol.
Vonage offers a service similar to MetroPCS', entitled Mexico Sin Límites, providing a one-year agreement at $14.99 for the first three months, and then $39.99 thereafter, and it offers unlimited local and international calls to landlines, and mobiles in Mexico, U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico; unlimited landlines in over 60 countries and unlimited to mobile phones in over 10 countries. Also, HablaMexico.com offers calls to Mexican landlines at 1 cent a minute, and cell calls are made available at 4.5 cent a minute. MetroPCS' limited time offer also permits unlimited calling (landline only) to 200 destinations, including Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Guanajuato, Puebla, Morelia, Queretaro, Merida, San Luis Potosi, and Acapulco. Depending on your needs, Mexicans residents can reach family members for as low as $30/monthly.
With unlimited nationwide talk and text to Mexico for just $30, you’ll feel close from afar https://t.co/PwKklRYHVh pic.twitter.com/ya3mDlCqDf
— MetroPCS Inc. (@MetroPCS) April 18, 2014