Mobile Internet

Does anybody know if Spain, and in particular Alicante, Murcia area have such a thing as mobile pay as you go internet. And if they have, how good is it, how much does it cost and where do you get it. This facility would be exellent for Spain part timer's and holiday lets.

I beleive in the UK it is refered to as a dongle, and in Asia where they are available everywhere, it is called an air card.

For someone who just wants to use a notebook for emails they can save a fortune over paying Movistar for a landline and ADSL facility on contract.

If there is a phonehouse shop, similar to carphone in U.K. go there. You can get a usb dongle or one that fits on a wireless base unit, for multiply users. They have all the different deals for vodafone etc. I have a dongle which cost €38 and then €39 + vat per month. This was unlimited usage on a month to month contract but there are many different deals.

http://www.phonehouse.es/app/f/sc-35-67/adsl-internet/internet-movil-usb.html      will give you some ideas

Before the avalanche of replies hits your mailbox, you will find that this subject has been extensively covered elsewhere on this site.  We have been using a dongle (USB Mobile Broadband) for some years and we are on a PAYG tariff (from The Phone House) that is no longer available.  However,  there is a bewildering array of tarriffs from a wide choice of suppliers both on contract and PAYG, so it is best that you choose one which suits your pocket.  When we are in Spain, I buy 1GB data each month, as that is the standard on my service, but it is far more than I actually use.  So much in fact that I log on at 07.00 each morning and off at 22.00 and still only use 700 MB per month, but then I only pay 20 euros for the 1GB.  One problem we have is the reduction in speed when a lot of people are on line and the weakness of the signal (3G) as the nearest transmitter is on the far side of of our apartment block. Also I understand that some services have to be maintained by a minimum amount of activity each month.

M.

 And, yes, there are plenty of places to get a pay as you go internet dongle.  Carrefour is €1 a day with a minimum of 3 days use per month..  Movistar, Orange, O2, Vodafone etc all do the pre-paid ones at around €20 a month.  You can top them up at supermarkets, newsagents etc.  Make sure you have your passport with you when you get one as this is a requirement for all equipment using a SIM (and for the SIM as well).

The cheapest way of accessing the internet is with the top of the range Kindle with 3G - £149.  Unlimited access is free, but buy it in the UK.  A friend of mine bought one in Spain but found that he wasn't allowed to access the Internet.

Mobile Internet is very good in Spain. I think its much better than the UK. personally I use the Vodafone service and regularly get speeds of 4.5kbs on 3G which I know in the UK beats some landline connected broadband.

Two options. Obviously contract, I have this and have unlimited at around 46€ per month I know that's quite a lot but I aslo use it most of the time for a Skype phone. I have a Skype out number and also a credit account which I top up with 10€.  I know lots of people here using a Landline who are paying 60€ per month and more

Option 2. As above but Pay and go.  You puchase a modem/ dongle  and then arrange to pay approx 40€ every month. If you leave Spain and go back to the UK or anywhere, if it's not topped up then it just stopps working. Make sure in both cases that your Modem / Dongle is activated for speech.and that customer service is in English.

Hope that helps. I also have USB WiFi using a special Router.

 I've always gone to the Phone House ever since I bought an apartment in Spain.  Years ago Yoigo was the cheapest but now Carphone Warehouses's own Happy Movil have Movidata on PAYG.  Two options that work for occasional visitors have costs of 1.5€ a day or 2.5€ a day for 100Mb and a third option if you use very little data is to pay 6€ per 100Mb and use it whenever.  The main thing about these tariffs is they don't expire i.e. buy 100Mb and use half now and the rest on your next visit a few months later.

I still review the available options every time I go out as things change in the mobile industry and you can quickly be paying too much for too little if a better option comes out.

Brian

As everyone has said, PAYG on a dongle is readily available. I use the daily PAYG one from Orange.
Not the cheapest around at €3.50 per day usage but usually works all over Spain. It isn't unlimited bandwith but it is a good allowance and so far I haven't ever been over it even staying connected all day.

The only problem is the 3G coverage. I have 2 rental apartments in Los Alcazares that are 1/2 mile apart. At one I get full 3G service of over 3mb - at the other its dodgy and I get 750k at most as it right on the edge of the 3G footprint.
2G coverage is fine everywhere so if you only want to access emails it is ok but forget trying to browse sites built using flash  or that are image driven (Like the Orange site!!!)

There's a map of their coverage here for both 2G and 3G  http://ayuda.orange.es/movil/herramientas/mapa-cobertura/

You do also have to use it at least every 2 or 3 months or they deactivaite the sim.

Friends have the Carrefour one and they pay just €1 per day but it is limited bandwith and they frequently go over the limit.

Here in Murcia, if you have a house, Compusurf and others will turn your internet on as required, so you ony pay for it when your are in Spain.  Also good if you hire your place out as you can actually make a profit on it and it encourages people to hire if they get internet connection.

My husband and I will be renting for a year in Torrox Costa and are planning on bringing with us our mobile Internet 3G MiFi which has been bought in England.

We will be using our notepad for basic emails, web searching and especially Skype with webcam which is very important to us for keeping in touch with family

Will we be able to buy just the 3G sim card for our devise from any of these Spanish phone shops at the same tariffs mentioned below?

I use Simyo dongle which is a low cost company. I use it as a back up when I have broadband problems and/or if I need to connect anywhere in Spain while travelling. They have several tariffs but if you just want to email and surf the web for a while each day I suggest the 3cent per mb. No monthly charges, no obligation to use a minimum amount. You can also call for 8 cent a minute, anytime, anywhere in Spain. You can order it online and they will send it in the post (must be a Spanish address) in a few days.

Is your MIFI unlocked, i.e. not tied to an existing provider?

Guy

I can get the MiFi unlocked for £15 with Three.Co.UK

Here are the Vodafone rates. We used them when travelling with a motorhome. The we bought and now use them on contract with ADSL. I have tried also Lebara for my Smartphone, nut they are not there yet.

Guy

http://www.vodafone.es/particulares/es/internet-y-tv/internet-movil/internet-movil-prepago/