Ecco

Hola. So I'm planning to rent a flat in Southern Spain on a years contract. But the place doesn't have internet.

Can anyone recommened any companies that provide internet there? (without any download caps - I don't use tht much but I'd prefer not to be charged extra in case I accidentally hit the limit).
How easy is it? Do I also need to pay for a phone line? Do I need to already have a Spanish bank account?

I heard it's pretty expensive here....and maybe difficult for a foreigner to sort out? Anyway,

I know this may seem like a simple thing to some, but when your Spanish is bad (especially via the telephone) even this seems like a daunting - and possible time consumin task. But as I sometimes work from home I need this to be done asap - as in yesterday - if you get my meaning.

Anyway, thanks in advance for any help/advice.

Fred James

Where exactly are you? Do you just need Internet or do you need a phone line as well?

Ecco

In Malaga.

I don't NEED a phone line as such as I use a mobile - but heard it might be necessary - as it often is in the UK if you're not in a cable area or whatever.

amideislas

If you sign up with Movistar (Telefonica) for a land line, then yes, you have to pay for line rental, which comes with a phone line. I can't speak for malaga, but most of telefonica's obsolete old copper lines are horribly unreliable and don't render good internet speeds, regardless of what they may promise you.

There may be a fiber optic supplier in your area, such an ono (now Vodafone). This is generally more reliable, but you also pay for a phone line.

There are also the mobile networks. Buy a local paygo sim and get 1gb per month for around €15. No contracts, pay it as you need. If you need WiFi from this, then you need a box that you put the sim into, an it gives you WiFi. Mobike networks generally aren't the speediest. Or most reliable.

Another option is wimax, which is a high speed wireless internet with good performance, and doesn't require a phone line. Normally it is mostly found in rural areas that have no land lines, but it's becoming popular in cities too, because its more reliable and faster than telefonica's aging copper infrastructure. And cheaper too.

Mark604

I had all sorts of problems trying to get internet as I live out in the countryside and don't have a phone line, only a mobile. I seem to remember you can get something like a router that uses a SIM card, rather than being connected to a landline, from Orange. I looked at a few companies that did a similar thing like using a dongle as well. My problem always was getting the reception anyway.

I ended up going to a company called Iberbanda. They have a website in English and the person I spoke to on the phone was also English. They are not the cheapest option but ended up being the only one I could feasibly use.
I now have a small, size of an A4 paper, contraption on the side of my house that points to a telecoms tower about 20km away. This is connected to a wifi router inside my house........... and it works fine enough. My kids can stream films and I can do whatever I need to do like watch the F1 Grand Prix. Plus, there is no limit to data.

Ecco

Hi. Thanks for the responses.

I won't be in the sticks so a signal shouldn't be a problem. But yeah - as in the UK - the phone lines and whether it's set up for cable might be. I prefer unlimited d/l if possible - as I don't watch TV _ I usually watch streams online and occasionally d/l series - So 1gb wouldn't really be sufficient.

So basically I'll have to call a phone company to get the line switched on/installed and pay for a contract with them before I do anything else?
The previous tennants had internet - supposedly - so there must have been something already set-up - though I think it must have been through the phone lines.

Ah, I just realised there's another issue. I'll need a spanish bank account right? I take it you can't pay by visa/debit online from a UK bank?

Ecco

Ah, I just realised there's another issue. I'll need a spanish bank account right? I take it you can't pay by visa/debit online from a UK bank?

amideislas

Well, yes... Sort of.

Most utility companies will claim you must give them direct debit to your Spanish bank account. Although there is no legal obligation to do so. But fighting them initially will not get you anywhere, so yes, you need a bank account to get started.

But that part is easy and not expensive, so it should be the least of your worries. Go into a bbva or lacaixa or any bank, really, tell them you have a non-permanent residence and want to open an account. 15 minutes later, you should be done. But your visa debit card will usually take 5 days. But otherwise easy-peasy.

Now, for direct debits: Don't give them your main account number. This can lead to surprise "mistake" debits that may be difficult to get back.

With most banks, you can open a separate account in your online banking with a simple click. Just a basic one, no extras. From there you will get an account number for the second account, and that's the number you should give to the utilities. You can freely transfer money to it frim your main account in your online banking. Then, only put enough money on that account to pay those bills, so that they can't "mistakenly" drain the account.

Good luck..

cricketman

Depends what you mean by "Malaga"

If you are in Malaga city then you can get fibre optic internet at incredible speeds 100-300MB

If you are in a rustic area or long forgotten urbanization then there may be no internet at all

One option is to have a 4G contract with a 10GB allowance on your phone. That usually gets me to the end of the month, but then I have fibre optic internet in the office and at home as well!

Eric S

We have Pepephone. It's ADSL, but does not require you to have/pay for land line service. It works pretty well for us. But unfortunately, their web site is only in Spanish or Catalan. No English option.

- Eric S.

Fred James

It really depends on what speeds you are looking for. Forgetting cable/fibre optics, you can easily get a 4G modem with unlimited data for about €60 a month.

If you are happy with less than 10mb/sec there are loads of WiFi options in that area, some of which offer a telephone connection for a small extra charge.

There are probably some WiFi systems with better performance, but I am not in that area. Further East in Granada province I have a WiFi connection that also has almost unlimited phone calls and a cheap mobile phone contact all combined. It's very fast, I get over 40mb/sec all the time and there are no usage limits. It's cheaper than the Movistar options.

I would be surprised if there is not a similar system available in Malaga.

Ecco

Thanks for the input everyone.

Well the speed isn't the main concern - I've found a "1mb" connection to be fine in England - though it's actually been slower (probably due to the wiring and the distance from the exchange). As long as it can stream internet TV without buffering it should be fine.

My main concern is that there isn't any monthly download limit. Like I saw one company offering 12euros a month internet - but that was for a paltry 1gb and then a 4.5c cost for every further MB. Which seems pretty grim.

missile

You might find a mobile Wifi device e.g. Huawei E5330 Unlocked 21 MBPS 3G Mobile Wifi Black Black Device Only | eBay or a dongle with a Spanish data only SIM is your best option. You could use this as a hot spot and save on data roaming call charges for your UK mobile phone.
I have used mobile Wifi successfully whilst travelling throughout Spain. I was in Costa Del Sol last month and had no issue with reception and download speed in Porta Benus and Marbella.

Ecco

Thanks for the input. But I'll be renting a flat for a year - so I'm not sure if that's the best option or not. I don't really know how it works - like how much the data costs.

I avoid using my UK phone when abroad unless it's a complete emergency. I already got a PAYG sim for Spain an paid 10euros for 250mb internet (not the best deal - but I needed it for maps and whatsapp and to receive calls without charges - so just went with it for a month).

Ecco

Hi. I've heard that the 'utility companies' can be a bit 'dodgy'. So that sounds like a good idea.

But how would it work? Say for example if they take money out by direct debit (automatically) then you wouldn't know how much to put in the account before then. Then I guess you'd probably get charged for being overdrawn (if there wasn't enough in the separate account to cover the bill).