Re: Looking for a recommendation on mobile network provider in Spain, prices/opt
 

But do they not have to terminate their Fibre connections into the Movistar equipment at the telephone exchange?

Re: Looking for a recommendation on mobile network provider in Spain, prices/opt
 

No because Movistar don't have the monopoly anymore

Re: Looking for a recommendation on mobile network provider in Spain, prices/opt
 

Yes I can understand Internet connections, but what about the option of a landline? Or is that now just part of the Internet connection?

Re: Looking for a recommendation on mobile network provider in Spain, prices/opt
 

Does any company have prepaid plans where you can pay say 6 or 12 months up front (topping up the exact amount and just "parking" it there isn't an option as it could be eaten away in the meantime by unexpected/accidental charges)?

On a side note, nobody here uses Lycamobile?

Re: Looking for a recommendation on mobile network provider in Spain, prices/opt
 

There are some that offer the ability to stop and start at will (holiday home owners would be a good example). Our local company does this via PayPal

So yes, always worth asking local companies.

Re: Looking for a recommendation on mobile network provider in Spain, prices/opt
 

Orange will keep a number active for around 6 months since the last "package" activation (or maybe it's the date of the last top-up?). I think Vodafone is similar. Lobster let's you freeze your account but you'll only receive SMS during the first month of the freeze.

Lycamobile is off the cards as apparently they recently switched to the Yoigo network which doesn't bode well for coverage. Plus surprisingly they told me that Canarian residents get charged the same prices even though VAT here is much lower.

Still looking for the ideal plan and network, but have since given up on just using the three main brands with stores as those are basically sales outlets and not places that will sort anything out in case you run into any difficulties. Anyone have experience with Direct Telecom?

Re: Looking for a recommendation on mobile network provider in Spain, prices/opt
 

Remember that Vodafone is closing it's operation in Spain by March 2022 - all shops will be gone.

Re: Looking for a recommendation on mobile network provider in Spain, prices/opt
 

Yeah, I gave up on mobile network stores as they are simply franchises aimed at selling stuff and not sorting things out. Even if you want to cancel something you don't do it via the store but call the helpline, albeit those physical locations can be useful for returning equipment.

I need to sit down and finally choose a network as I'm still stuck in limbo as to which provider to go with...

Re: Looking for a recommendation on mobile network provider in Spain, prices/opt
 

Not prepaid but Lobster can be suspended at will (SIM Parking) and the balance of days remaining in the 28 day billing period is preserved until the service is turned on again, or in their words "when the plan is restored it will be at the same status as it was when the suspension was started"

Max suspension period is 12 months after which Lobster will reactivate the service.

Re: Looking for a recommendation on mobile network provider in Spain, prices/opt
 

I rather meant paying up front for 6 or 12 months and having a 100% guarantee that the service will be active during that entire time.

If I were to topup the amount that would normally be required for say 6 months then there's always the risk that the kids might call the wrong number or send messages and eat up the future balance that was to be used to renew the plan for the next 6 months.

Re: Looking for a recommendation on mobile network provider in Spain, prices/opt
 

There are some prepay operators which can charge a card every month but don't think Orange is one of them, it's not mentioned in the link in my post above.

Re: Looking for a recommendation on mobile network provider in Spain, prices/opt
 

Own shops will be gone but franchise shops will still be around.

Re: Looking for a recommendation on mobile network provider in Spain, prices/opt
 

Those are mainly purchase points - as soon as you need help they basically assist you in dialing the helpline because on the spot they're not able to do much.

Re: Looking for a recommendation on mobile network provider in Spain, prices/opt
 

After sifting through countless prepaid offers and still trying to get everything sorted I have finally come across two mobile operators that I will be going forward with for both phone SIMs and well as those for iPads.

In general the two most interesting finds after a few weeks of digging into this matter are Simyo and Digi. Simyo belongs to Orange and probably has the best system of choosing your prepaid monthly plan: you literally just toggle two things, data and minutes, and it shows you the price. I am currently paying 10 Euro/mth with Orange for 4 numbers (family of 2+2) and although we each get 10GB of data my kids tend to run out of it before the month is over. With Simyo for 10 Euro you can lower your call allowance to 20 mins (my kids always call using apps) and increase your data to a massive 25GB. Plus Simyo has the best app I've seen for managing your number.

For tablets Simyo also has the best casual option: toggle the minutes down to zero and set the data at 7GB and you're only looking at 4 Euro every 30 days!

In my case there's one place (my daughter's favourite stable) where I need decent coverage and unfortunately Orange and Vodafone lag behind there, whereas Movistar has absolutely full coverage in that area. In comes Digi which piggybacks off the Movistar network. 5 Euro for 3GB is still decent for a casual card (though not as good an offer as Simyo).

Digi is also great for those that like to call internationally and some of their rates even beat Skype. On top of that you can get included calls in your package that include free minutes to landlines/mobiles across the EU, UK, Australia, USA, etc.

Re: Looking for a recommendation on mobile network provider in Spain, prices/opt
 

Excellent post, thank you for letting me copy your homework, I owe you a virtual beer for your troubles. I've been searching for a couple of months for the best option and came across Digi as well, but hadn't considered SimYo. Their selection menu is just what I was looking for as we're very heavy data users using around 30GB each per month. The only downside is the UK roaming, but that's the same with most new contracts these days.
I'm currently on Vodafone and I'm finally approaching the end of the ever extending contract and discount period with fiber and 2 unlimited SIMs plus another on Fi Network which is actually very good. I'm going to take the 1GB from Digi and the SIMs through Simyo.