Spain Internet: ADSL, Cable and Wireless

Cable Internet service is a good alternative to ADSL internet , but not all areas are covered."

Posted by The Expatriator

Tagged: telefonica, technology, spain, adsl, internet in spain, internet, ya, wardriving, wanadoo, isp

Information on Internet services in Spain, for expatriates living in Spain. Free Internet via dialup, ADSL and Cable modem services through various providers like Telefonica, Auna, ONO, ya.com and Wanadoo. Further information about wireless (wifi) Internet, and wardriving in Spain.

Spain’s Internet usage has climbed dramatically in recent years. As of January 2007, Spain had over 19,204,000 Internet users, almost 43% of the population (source). As for broadband (cable and ADSL Internet), this is still somewhat lower than the overall EU market average penetration (50.9%) and the price to performance ratio is lower too, making the Internet relatively expensive in these terms. Of course this is most likely due to the near monopoly Telefonica still maintains over Spain’s telephone lines, making it difficult for competitors to enter the market and difficult for you to even get your ADSL line at all, since you’ll have to rely on them to install a fixed telephone line service before your ADSL will work. This is changing however, but more on that later.

Dial-up Internet in Spain

The internet is free in Spain—at least until you get your phone bill. Local calls are not free (around ,06 €/minute with Telefónica or ,01 €/minute with Tele2). An alternative is to sign up for Tarifa plana. That means you pay a flat rate to the ISP rather than paying for the local calls. The rates depend on whether you include peak time or not (peak time in Spain is M-F 8AM - 6PM). The rates don’t seem to vary much from company to company. Ya.com and Wanadoo offer various rates depending on how many hours of peak time you plan to use. For example, Ya.com offers a 24-hour-a-day service for 20 €/month. Don’t use EresMas: bad service has been reported. When one person tried to cancel the service, he was told to send it by e-mail. He did so, and got a reply two days later: “this person is on vacation”. Also, I would recommend against Terra, Telefónica’s mutant offspring. They’ll often modify the mail server settings or down the server without warning. Also, their helpline is not toll-free!—a drag when you’re put on hold for half an hour. For more info, see the CostaBlancaExpats article on Choosing and connecting to a Spanish ISP.

Also regarding free Internet in Spain, several people, myself included, have cancelled their broadband (read: ADSL or Cable Internet) services with a company (in our case it was Auna) only to have been taken off of billing and forgotten about. They left their equipment, modem, router, etc, at the residence still connected, seemingly having forgotten to pick it up or disable the modem from their networks. Sometimes the craziness of Spanish beaurocracy pays off…

Cable Modem Internet Service in Spain

Cable Internet service is a good alternative to ADSL internet , but not all areas are covered. Try Auna or ONO. Sample fees for Auna: 35€/month, plus 120€ installation, if there are no special offers. Keep your eyes open for these special offers on billboards around town.

With rates and services being what they are in Spain - but without sanctioning or condoning it - wardriving can be very helpful."

ADSL Internet Service in Spain

ADSL Internet service providers in Spain include Ya.com, Terra, Wanadoo, and others—but all are about the same. This is for 24hr/day internet access, plus you can receive phone calls while connected to the Internet on the ADSL modem. This has gotten cheaper now that the companies no longer send a technician to your house; they send you the package and you install it, including the ADSL modem and networking cables. Prices are around 29 €/month although recently I’ve seen bundled packages with Internet and phone service for around 20€/month - a great deal. You choose between a modem with USB connection (free) or a DSL router (Ya.com offers the router for 60€ or so, Wanadoo sells their router for 40€ or the wireless router for 99€). Note that actual incoming speed during the afternoon peak times can be far lower than advertised. For more info about DSL Internet in Spain, see the CostaBlancaExpats article.

Wifi Internet Services in Spain

Wireless (called “wifi” and pronounced “wee-fee” in Spain) Internet technology is here to stay, and it’s taken ahold of Spain with a passion (Spain is currently ranked 10th in the world for wifi Internet usage). If you have a laptop or multiple computers, this is a great convenience at an affordable price. All computer stores sell the equipment (although prices and available brands vary greatly). I’ve seen wireless packages available with your order of an ADSL line for a very reasonable price. You pay only for the broadcasting and receiving equipment (router and network card respectively), and it costs nothing extra with your ADSL/Cable provider.

Spain seems to be getting into wifi Internet like the next San Francisco. Recently Fon, a Spanish Internet equipment manufacturer, announced that they would be partnering with Google and Skype to provide wireless routers for 5€ to the general public if the purchaser signs an agreement to ensure their wifi connection is available without encryption (easy to access) for a year.

So, thanks to this ongoing wireless revolution, wifi hotspots can be found more and more commonly in the major centres these days. Start at wifi411.com. If you’re in Madrid, check out madridwireless.net or wifi at Plaza Mayor. Where ever you are, try taking your wireless enabled laptop to your local cafe or bar and scan; you might be surprised at how common and easy it is to connect. Some cafes, for example one of my favourites, Lenon Café (in Barcelona), offer a fast, free wireless connection while you drink your coffee or tea. Other cafes like Starbucks offer their connections through partners that charge you by the hour (4.50€/half hour at Starbucks!). Also try airbites.com who have recently expanded to be “Spain’s largest wifi hotspot provider” (or something like that ).

With rates and services being what they are in Spain - but without sanctioning or condoning it - wardriving can be very helpful. “Anything to avoid Telefonica,” as I’ve heard.

G3 Internet in Spain

Vodafone’s 3G network is now in operation in Spain, offering an Internet connection via technology similar (more advanced actually) to your mobile phone. Recently I saw them offering unlimited Internet via 3G (all you need is a little USB dongle or a PCMCIA card) for 50€ per month. That’s a darn good deal. The speed isn’t quite what you’ll get with ADSL Internet, but you’re looking at about 400Kb to 800Kb download and about half of that for upload - compare that to 512Kb/256Kb for your cheapest ADSL line. The great advantage is that you’ll be connected wherever they’ve upgraded their mobile phone towers to handle 3G, which they’re doing all the time. You can check their coverage map for your area here.

No word on whether or not foreign, non-Vodafone USB dongles and 3G cards will work with this Vodafone 3G Internet, but I’d love to hear from someone who knows. Also note that your 3G Internet-enabled mobile phone will work as well, but in my experience it’s not as simple to use as a dedicated card or dongle.

Further Investigation

Wireless access to the Internet is here to stay, so if you’ve got an older laptop without a wireless card then it’s probably time to pick one up. Better to do so before you leave home unless you want installation instructions in Spanish. Almost all new laptops come with a wireless card, though, so you should be okay if yours is from the last two years. Check to ensure your laptop’s wireless antenna switch is “on” before panicing over having been ripped off.

Also be sure to check out Kevin Dillon’s article about Wireless Internet for a Rural Community

Last updated 11 09 2009

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28/Feb/2010:
Soltec said:

I've written an article regarding wifi leeching which can be read here.

http://www.soltecspain.com/documents/wifileeching.pdf

11/Jan/2010:
Tyler_D said:

Some very good advice.

I actually moved to a very rural area with limited connectivity and ended up using a satellite internet.

It's 2 way satellite internet connection, so extremely fast. I used a company based in the UK but they fit across Europe - http://www.broadbandwherever.net

19/Sep/2009:
efkas@mac.com said:

Since the iPhone is available at 35 euro a month, unlimited internet (G3) access, 600 free minutes talk, no limit messages, this seems the ticket for me to get when I am back in Spain next week.

Frits

18/Sep/2008:
Pieter Vos said:

Hi Roby, you can get contract without any problems, only requirements is passport and a Spanish bank account (This you can get the same day on any bank, you don't need residence permit AFAIK). But as you are going to stay for short period, better get a prepaid card with internet bonus and buy a carrier-free or unlocked USB or PCMCIA datacard. If you get a contract you're normally bound to 18 months usage or you'll get a penalty to pay. Other option is to get a contract card without the USB modem, then you're not bound to the 18 months.

The 58€ is excellent, after 5 gb full speed, they switch to a lower speed that's still useful for video/audio.

18/Sep/2008:
Doug said:

Hi there,

Yes, I've just been to Tenerife - I have a Vodafone prepago (pay-as-you-go) USB modem, which works well in Barcelona and would probably work well in the cities there. Troubles getting pay-as-you-go arise from the way the Vodafone Spain form must be filled in. You need a kindly Vodafone sales person, who is prepared to fill in the form using your passport number instead of DNI, and who will take your Canary Islands address. I don't know anything about MoviStar, but read on for my experiences of connecting to the internet here:

I was staying in remote Abades (on the south east coast near Arico). No way could I even get a vodafone telephone connection in Abades, although MoviStar worked perfectly. I spotted a mobile mast up the mountain and drove up. Parked next to them, the internet worked fine. Sure it would work much better in large cities like Santa Cruz or Puerto de la Crua. Am guessing other large islands the same.

¡Suerte!

08/Sep/2008:
Roby said:

Hi!

I would like to go to the Canary islands for 3 months. My job is internet based, and I was wondering how could I get an internet connection as soon as I arrive.
I called movistar today, and they assured me that there is no problem.
Actually, I'm a chroat citizen (not EU), and I have a friend that was there and could not get a contract with them. Btw, the friend has french citizenship.
I'm a little suspicious about all this. I really must have a connection there, all the time. The package they offered was the mobile 5Gb/month package for 58€. That is just what I need, but the question remains: I will be a tourist there, living at a friends house, that has no adsl, a foreign...
Any of you had some expiriences regarding this?

08/Sep/2008:
TexanInLaManga said:

I am using Yoigo (yoigo.com) through my mobile phone and using that as a modem for my laptop. The coverage is pretty awesome. I am in La Manga (Murcia) at the very end of the peninsula and am consistently getting 384 Kbps. I was getting the same when I was staying with my wife’s family in Parla/Madrid. There is no contract and we pay somewhere around 1.20 euros a day for unlimited access. We don’t live here full time (we live in Texas USA most of the year) so it’s good to be able to turn it on and off.

My only issue with it is at times I need a faster connection because my business is online and I work on the web. It’s great for casual browsing, checking email, etc. However it’s not too great for uploading large files or streaming video.

05/Jul/2008:
greyspaniard said:

The vodaphone dongle gives us 3.6mb (most of the time) far faster than ADSL srvices in the two nearest towns. We have no phone lines - there are now 5 of us using this including one who had access to ADSL. Response is excellent - its costing 4 of us €37,12 per month for unlimited use as we did through a company. Also we got one dongle free. I believe the deals are even better now. And with a laptop we can access anywhere in Spain with vodaphone coverage.

26/Apr/2008:
Doug said:

Great article. I see that Vodaphone.es now do a pay-as-you go option on their USB dongle - pack with dongle costs €99, then each 200 MB costs €40 (after some initial freebies). Quite pricey at the moment, but maybe an option for those who use the internet occasionally.

Alternatively the cheapest contract (with the dongle costin €89) is €19 a month for 200 MB, and €1,9 oer day after that's used up.

I guess it only works in big cities as of now? Anyway, will most likely try out one of the options next time am in Barcelona coz convincing 'la suegra' (m-in-law) to get broadband in her flat is proving to be an uphill journey even if I offer to pay for it...

18/Mar/2008:
Pieter Vos said:

A few points about this fantastic article:

Not only Vodafone offers 3G, also Movistar (which has more base stations and coverage, especially in touristic places).

For some years there's also been Iberbanda, a good alternative for DSL, specially for rural parts of Spain, where phone lines don't exist or are too poor to drag dsl. Iberbanda also offers a phone line over their system.

25/Feb/2008:
docsharp01 said:

This is an excellent article about DSL. However,
satellite DSL should be considered as an alternative, particulary in rural areas without regular DSL or cable internet access.

24/Oct/2007:
David Fincham said:

Continuation of previous post:

4. Jinksey: I had a look at PSHBroadband. Their website is not very informative, but this seems to be mobile phone technology. I suppose they buy access to one of the networks at wholesale rates. I would expect it only to give broadband speeds in a 3G area, can you confirm this? It is unlikely that Skype would work well over GPRS. By the way, as you are paying per Mbyte you should install the Onspeed software (<a status='http://www.onspeed.com'>www.Onspeed.com</a>) as it reduces the amount of data used by a large fraction. (£25 per year).

24/Oct/2007:
David Fincham said:

1. I am interested in rural internet as I am building a country house. My builder says he has a telephone system called Trac2 which provides 256 Kbit internet. I think Trac is a sort of radio phone system: can anyone tell me more about it, and does anyone have experience of Trac2+internet?

2. I have used a British Vodaphone 3G card on a roaming basis in Spain (VERY expensive). The 50€ per month contract looks good. It is worth mentioning that if there is no 3G signal it runs on GPRS (second generation mobile phone) at about dial-up speed.

3. WiFi is very useful on my visits to Spain. The hotel where I stay has free WiFi, but they don't advertise it, so it is always worth asking.

06/Oct/2007:
Jinksey said:

I just thought I would add my experience of the whole internet/broadband in Spain thing. We live in an urbanisation in the Costa Blanca where Telefonica refuse to put more than two landlines to each cluster of 8 - 18 houses. This was very annoying to us both especially as we were told that someone would be out to install a satellite phone "next week". Funny how next week never comes....

Anyway, after much hunting and question asking I discovered a company called PSHbroadband(Google it to get a link if you think they can help you). To cut a long story short it eliminated the need for a telephone (satellite or otherwise) as it's a superb connection for SKPYE. Plus it gives me a really good internet connection at broadband speeds. Also, and this for me was the hook in the mouth, it is pay as you go with no contract. So when we go back to England we don't pay a fixed monthly charge for stuff we're not using.

Hope this helps.

23/Aug/2007:
bullrunner said:

All ISPs require a one year contract. Fortunately all landline telephone calls are free for their phone service as well. I recently got scammed by Jazztel, and their "promise anything" style. I said "send me a contract" but got slammed by them, their "hasta 20 megas" service is only 60k for me.. I am outside of their range, but of course I am screwed.. I had been a customer of Telefonica for seven years, SCREWED BY JAZZTEL

08/Sep/2006:
The Editor said:

Hi Carolina,
Due to high demand, Kevin has now published an article on our site about how to get wireless Internet in a rural community.

You can all go check it out now and stop emailin' him!

28/Aug/2006:
carolina said:

Beware anyone moving to a rural area. Our experience is that Telefonica only installs "Trac" lines which are not suitable for ADSL or Cable Internet. The only Internet you can have is dial up, going back to the stone age. I have just read Kevin Dillon´s comments however on how he achieved ADSL by setting up a wireless network. I hope he can share how he set it up.
Thank you,
Carolyn

21/Aug/2006:
Kevin Dillon said:

Ref: 08/Apr/2006:
David Fincham
I live in Bixquert, 4 km south of Xativa and have sucessfully overcome the obstacles created by Telefonica, in achieving an ADSL service tomy house. I've done it by setting up a wireless network that shares with another user across the valley (although tests show it will work for 10-15km away). Its cheap and simple to do once the research and early mistakes have been made. I'm happy to share the knowledge and to demonstrate mine at work.
Kevin
.

18/Aug/2006:
olley said:

I found a really helpfull Internet company for web design, real estate software and hosting in Spain. Cyber Creative http://www.cyber-creative.com

01/Jul/2006:
dickyd said:

Can anyone give me any info regarding wireless network Bluestar-Pago as I'm picking this up as an unsecured automatic preferred network with excellent signal strength.
I would like to sign on but have No contact info.
Help please!!
dickyd