Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Things are about to get easier when making phone calls in Puerto Vallarta - or anywhere else in Mexico. A new 10 digit dialing system, set to take effect in August of this year, will make calling any phone a lot more efficient.

This is one of the most often asked questions we have from visitors and new residents in Puerto Vallarta, with a lot of frustrated comments on how dfficult it can be to call a restaurant in Mexico City, connect to a number in the U.S. or Canada, or to simply make a local call from land line to cellular and vice versa.

According to the Federal Institute of Telecommunications (IFT), all calls will be made in the future with the use of ten digits and a whole lot less confusion. It's been a long time coming, with a plan that was initiated nearly two years ago.

Phasing out 01 for all national long distance calls, 044 for calls made to cellular numbers and 045 for long distance from land line to cellular will be cause for celebration for people who have made contact only after much trial and error. In some cases, whether in Puerto Vallarta on elsewhere, it's been easier to simply send an email but there times that only a phone connection will do.

Part of what takes so long to get the system up and running is allowing time for service providers to make all the necessary changes on networks, websites, etc. We personally will also need to make changes in our own telephones for contacts we have on autodial. If it's time consuming for us, imagine what it's like when literally thousands of adjustments need to be made at much higher levels.

The icing on the cake is calls made to Puerto Vallarta and all of Mexico will no longer require dialing the pesky extra number 1 when calling a cellular number. All phone numbers will be re-created equal... ten digits for everyone; land lines and cellular. As with the rest of the globe, Mexico will retain their country code, which is 52, so calling into the country will still require 12 digits.

It's important to keep in mind that some operations won't change, for example 911 for local emergencies in Puerto Vallarta. This number is applied for all of Mexico.

According to the IFT, these changes will officially take place on August 3rd, 2019. We can check with Telmex, Telcel and other carriers to make sure this expectation is met.

Que es cómo es.

---

The number one selling and listing agency in the greater Bay of Banderas region since 2011, Timothy Real Estate Group is a locally-owned and operated real estate brokerage with a strategic location in the city's Romantic Zone. Because the Puerto Vallarta area has varying neighborhood personalities, we practice localized real estate and, with 5 sales offices around the bay, we know our communities well. If you are looking to sell or purchase a property in the Banderas Bay area, please contact one of the Timothy Real Estate Group agents for the best experience in Puerto Vallarta real estate. For more information, visit TimothyRealEstateGroup.com.

Click HERE to learn more about Timothy Real Estate Group