Hola.

Does anyone know if it’s possible to get the internet in Spain without having to have/or sign up for a phone line too.

In the places I’ve rented so far it seems all the landlords have just quoted the un-magical figure of 40euros every month for internet, which is MIGHTY expensive…..........especially as in my current place I did a speed test and the maximum download speed is 5.6.

Sometimes this 40e figure included the phone line too - but I NEVER use it so it just seems like a waste of money. Also as i’m currently living alone (and will have 1 flatmate max) 40e every month is an even greater expense than normal.

My current place has a cable (I think it may be ONO) and also a telefonica socket.

Any advice welcome. Gracias.

Internet in Spain is normally delivered via the phone line although alternatives are available. The un-magical figure of 40 Euros per month is par for the course and does not normally include the phone rental which comes in at around 14 Euros per month. In the cities Telefonica may be able to offer a 10 Mbps service but it is far more likely that you will wind up with a 3 or 6Mbps service.

Beware of Special Offers from other suppliers promising great speeds; if their service is rendered via a phone line it is subject to Telefonica’s infrastructure and just as problematical as a result. Jazztel are a case in point as are services supplied by agents acting on behalf of BT Spain.

Cable and Fibre-optic services are available in the cities but again at a high price and are capped.

Wimax is available in most city areas of Spain but can be patchy outside. One of the biggest suppliers is Iberbanda but they are part of Telefonica…

Satellite internet is also available at a price but subject to your landlords approval of the installation of a dish and relatively high installation costs. Again the service is capped.

Internet by mobile Dongle is also available subject to the availability of a decent 3G signal, again this can be very hit and miss away from the cities and again at a price way above that in other parts of the world. Such services are also capped and subject to a generally most unfair ‘fair usage policy.’

Sorry if this is not what you want to hear but Internet in Spain is a rip-off.

fb

Hi,

I install Wireless Internet on the Costa del Sol and this may be the best solution for you.

You need line of sight to one of the transistor’s on the Costa del Sol (From Benalmadena to Estepona and most inland areas).
A small antenna is installed on the outside of your property and then cabled to a wireless router within the property.
The speeds available are 1 - 4mb. Unlike most adsl connections the speed you pay for is the speed you get.

You can then use a voip provider for your telephone like Vonage, Skype, Voipcheap etc.

Let me know if you would further details.

Neil

neil;

His IP address decodes to Barcelona which may be just a smidgen out of your area!

Nice try though!

fb

Hi Greatescape…
Unfortunatley as FB said, we are behind the Uk on pricing and speed.
I know Telefonica (a swear word to some, but we are going to give them a try when we move soon - mainly because of price!)
will be charging us Eu40pcm for phone and internet connection (Plus calls charged per minute outside of Spain, but included Spanish land line to Sp landline.) . (+We will use our own phone handset.) This is a special offer (usually they are Eu50pcm?)
This will be cheaper than our current ‘Cableless’ provider. We have a dish and pick up the signal from this largish, and fairly reliable outfit on the Costa del Sol. But it is Eu40 for basic 1MB connection and another 10Eu pcm (plus call costs!) for phone no.
You could get by with the Eu40cm for internet only if that is all you need, but voip on this line is very patchy, so we felt the need for the phone line as that is 90% ok. 

Sadly your connection/service will only be as good as your provider.
As others have said - be carful who you sign up with - as there could be hidden extras. (Eg Teledos were offering lower prices than Telefonica, but infact rent their lines from them and charge you a whopping call out fee (as they have to pay this to Telefonica) for any back up service.)

Best stick with what others use in your area. (Unless you are 100% your choice is a better one!)

Good luck. And welcome to the world of Spain!
😉

For rough and ready mobile dongle, I found vodafone payg dongle ok for ?19. Various prepay deals available eg ?19 a gig/month. However if you have the know-how payg smart phones can be a lot cheaper short term.. vod charge 50 cents a day for smart phone internet… if you use easytether or similar to use your phone as a usb cable modem for your laptop, you may get almost unlimited net per day. Not sure about no phone line but Ono dont have a minimum contract term. Now living in Spain (in net switched-on Barcelona) and use Ono now I have nie, empadronamiento & resident account.

Thanks for the replies, it seems living in Spain is very expensive, especially when you compare it to the pretty low wages they pay here. Sometimes I wonder why there’s not an Arab Spring here, I mean for the same internet I’d probably pay about ?5 a month back in England.
Anyway, just to update the landlady just went with Orange, as it saved me the hassle of trying to speak Spanglish on the phone and get my name on the bill etc. etc. So yeah, I’m on the ‘standard 40 euros a months tariff’ (max download speed 6mb). But I’ve just got a new flat-mate so at least i’ll only be paying 20euros a month from now on with no noticeable difference in the internet connection (my flat-mate isn’t an on-line gamer, luckily, jaja).

GE… ‘Expensive in Spain’...
But at just Eu 1.65 for a good bottle of Cava (as opposed to 6 quid - on special offer in UK)... there are lots of ways to save money in other departments 😉 
Swings and roundabouts 😉

used twwo have twoway , crap ... slow and mover over two astra2 , used 40 cm dish on 19.2 east , fast no ping time ... and lot cheaper ,
fully install for you for ?00.00 including all equipment.
tv , phone , inter net 20 euros per month 15MB download and 6MB
More just ask and give guy number

that a guidelines to what there offering you you then deal with loacl company wich set you limites,  establish threshold of used is set out and can change in 30 - 60 - 90 days you Requirements eal up two you
we need 14.4 MB are more per day , with few place useding up 16gb per day one place used up two 85GB per day

the company i work for have over 2500 ADSL line in spain and 5800 DDSL line across EU we starting to move them over two new companys , want Quote for it
just pm me

Check out also http://www.espana-wifi.com/ for satellite internet.
Superfast, guaranteed 100% coverage regardless of how rural you are, UK ISP address as standard, English-speaking staff.
Pricing packages to suit starting from ?29 per month. Buy/rent your equipment.
See website for rave reviews!

Its a shame that there is no concept of plug and play internet data cards in Spain..

Another option is to share internet with someone else in your area, maybe a neighbour who you get along with.  Easy to set up a range extender, then chip in towards the internet costs.  I did this when I lived in Playa flamenca, Orihuela Costa for a year back in 2008. 

My friend actually lived half a mile away, so I used a parabolic antenna to pick up his wifi signal.  I plugged a voip box into my range extender, with a telephone plugged into the voip box.  It gave me wifi throughout my apartment, with telephone too… all for 20 euros a month, which he was chuffed with.

MOVING TO IBIZA JUNE
Hi folks,
Im moving to Ibiza in June and will be working from home and traveling a lot so I need the fastest internet connection I can get for my kids to video conference with me, check my security equipment when away etc.
Any recommendations?
Cost not an issue, just need fast, reliable service 24/7
Thanks much!
Matt