lutonlad

Does anyone have any experience with 4G internet in Spain?

A friend of mine on the CostaBlanca was persuaded by his existing Wimax (dish) provider to change to 4G. The company is Eurona. They sent him a decent looking 4G router with wifi and he is getting average speeds of 15 Mbs for only 20 euros a month.

What he's got seems far better than what is currently available in the UK in terms of equipment and cost. I'm even wondering if it's directly comparable with the UK because the router sim card socket is empty, therefore it may be pre-configured in some way? On a speed test it seems to indicate that uses the Huawei network which also makes the router.

Any thoughts welcome because I'd like to use the same thing in the UK if poss.

amideislas

Can't speak for everywhere, but 4G is widespread here now. Even the Wimax providers are moving to it. I am currently using (and delighted with) wimax, but I've just been notified by the provider that they will eventually be moving it all to 4G, and the price will be cut significantly.

Fred James

The problem with 4G connections is that almost all providers have a usage cap whereas fibre systems offer even higher speeds with no cap.

Whether that is a problem or not will depend on your type of usage - lots of video streaming and you could hit the cap.

There are WiMax systems that can offer high speeds without 4G with no limitations and these are now becoming more widespread.

amideislas

True, my WIMAX has absolutely no usage limits. No mention of whether this would change as it moves to 4G, but my experience with this provider has been that they have so far been very fair and transparent about everything. Unlike my former experiences with "phone companies", whose assertions have always been questionable, if not outright fallacies..

lutonlad

Interesting. The reason I'm looking into this is that I'd like to upgrade my 3G internet in the UK to 4G.

The type of 4G I describe in Spain (supplied by a Wimax provider) seems to be unique and very good. I'm not even sure it that runs on the conventional 4G mobile network. The router is pre-configured (the optional Sim card slot is empty). Performance is excellent over local WiFi.

Looking at the mobile broadband offerings in the UK, I can't see anything comparable or as good. Maybe there's too much a stake because of the potential loss of line rental revenue.

I have seen references to a joint venture between Huawei and Vodafone developing a version of 4G called LTE. Indeed the router in question has LTE stamped on it.

gardner8

I have 4G supplied by Eurona, no usage cap and speed varies between 12 and 28mb download. However there are others not far from me for whom it does not work so it depends on your location. When I started they were offering a 5 day trial for free and that's what I did, later signing up proper but there is no long term contract so if something better comes along !

stevesainty

We only have 2 options on our urb. in Torrevieja, an abysmal 3.5mb from Telefonica or a supposedly 8mb WiMAX.
The trouble is we get our TV through IPTV and the service is excellent, however even though we only need 3.5mb for normal and 5.5mb for high density our WiMAX signal is very erratic and quite often the TV stutters or even goes off for a while, usually at acritical point in a sporting program.
I have sourced a company in CDS that will supply a 4G router for 200€ and 4G sim with unlimited download for 60€ per month on the Orange network.
I am considering this option but what I cannot understand is why it is not an option at my local Orange shop. They will only offer me a router and sim with a monthly cap of about 35mb which is no use for my IPTV.
The problem will be solved when, if ever, we get fibre optics installed on the urb.
Any thoughts please before I shell out for a new router.

Fred James

Don't believe what these third party suppliers tell you. You will get a 35gb cap on Orange. Other companies were offering unlimited 4G routers but now they (Movistar and Vodafone) have changed the rules and they are capped. My comments are based on the experience of 4G users on other forums.

lutonlad

That's the system I'm talking about. It seems very good, and cheap!
Surprisingly there's nothing comparable in the UK where the 4G offerings seem a lot more limited.

danielspaniel11234

Eurona where I am is fine all day but around 8pm often cuts off or at least goes really slow. Will be changing soon.

andyrich666

Eurona is one of the wost complained about on Facebook in the veja abja area.

ESF

HI, I know this thread is a little old now but as no one mentioned them, I thought I would. You can get a 4G system from Orange. Its limited to 35gb a month at top speed which we clocked at 40mb/s but generally I think it hovered around the 30. After you hit you limit you get reduced to 128kb/s for the rest of the month.

It worked for us as we spent a few months in different places at a time but staying within the limit was a pain. We just cancelled it as we are now settled in the one place so can get fiber at last

If you (or the person you use to sign up as was our case,) are already with Orange you get a discount. We paid 21.95 after the discount or 30bg but I think its 26 or 27 euro a month now

Rosemary

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary


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lutonlad

Just a follow up on 4G - spanish version!

The system that my friends got in Rojales (Nr Torrevieja) is excellent. As far as I know there is nothing comparable in the UK.

It's 4G but it does not have a Sim card so its not on a mobile phone network. The supplied 4G router provides a strong wifi signal.

He gets a typical speed of 15 to 20Mbs for 22 Euros a month unlimited.

From other comments on here it seems that only certain areas have a good signal, but for a new technology it's early days.

danielspaniel11234

Eurona are a joke