Cingular picture-emailing..in Mexico?

[chimpanzee]

I've been using SprintPCS picture/video-emailing (Samsung MM-A700) from USA, with great success:

http://www.jumplive.com
http://www.jumplive.com/main.html
[ browse thru the various events I've covered ]

http://www.jumplive.com/tt250/index.html
[ click "Real Time", to see menu for real-time pics/videos ]

http://jumplivett250sat.textamerica.com/
[ example of how pics/videos can get "logged" via picture-emails ]

I also used Cingular picture-emailing (Treo 650) at that race.

The above location was Pahrump, NV (just outside Las Vegas), kinda a small town in Nevada "boonies". Cellphone coverage 12 miles outside of town (where start & finish were barely within coverage) went to zilch. Most of the race (between start & finish) didn't have "realtime webcast".


The next challenge is Baja, Mexico!..the SCORE Baja 500, which starts & ends in Ensenada/Baja North. I've heard of a report, that the digital network for Cingular works in Ensenada..so I think I'm covered for RealTimeWebcast for Start & Finish.

Question:
Anyone try picture-emailing from Ensenada? (or anywhere else in Baja Mexico North, or even Mexico mainland)

There was a SCORE race in San Felipe 250, where the story was all the NA carrier phones DIDN'T WORK, except Cingular/AT&T (GSM compatible). Which is bizarre, since I went down with 2 Verizon phones (which advertise North American Network service, to Mexico & Canada..the Verizon coverage rep told me at time of purchase, they WOULD work in San Felipe) & they didn't work. As did, with another guy I knew with Verizon phones..his girlfriends Cingular phone worked, no problem.

However, someone just told me his Verizon phones worked in Ensenada. So, is it a local issue with hardware? (Verizon didn't work in San Felipe, but apparently work in Ensenada)

Can someone educate me (or point me to a website), which summarizes the cellphone coverage issue in northern Baja? (Tijuana, Ensenada..Colonet, Valle de Trinidad, San Felipe, etc). I heard of a report, of some spat between a Mexican cellphone carrier (TelMex?) & some NA carriers..which led to the cellphones not working in San Felipe.

A friend of mine with AT&T, I was able to contact from a land-line during last year's Baja 1000..he answered, as his car was going thru Guerrero Negro (WAY DOWN the Baja peninsula). Apparently, there are some "solutions" (e.g., AT&T and Cingular) which give good cellphone communications in Baja Mexico. I need more "datapoints", so I can put my Cingular Treo650 to good use for the upcoming Baja 500.

TIA for any help/advice..