You can use your mobilephone as a hotspot for WIFI. You do not have to pay extra to receive calls or text messages as long as you are within the EU. When you travel to another EU country, you only have to pay the same price for calls, text messages and data usage, as in your home country. The same rule applies to the calls and text messages you receive. There is no volume limit on calls or text messages.
But if you plan on using the internet when on holiday you should be aware there are rules on how much data usage you have for roaming. How much data you have depend on the type of subscription you have.
Mobile Subscription
With limited data usage
If you have a limited data plan, you can use the allowable amount of data when traveling within the EU, without having to pay extra. Your mobile carrier should inform you of this ceiling and warn you when you reach it. You can continue with data roaming once you’ve reached your ceiling, but your carrier will then charge an additional fee.
With no limited data usage
If you have an unlimited data plan, your mobile carrier should provide you with a data roaming usage that is at least twice what you get by dividing the price of your mobile plan (exclusive VAT) by EU´s wholesale price per GB of data roaming. Example: 40 € is paid for a mobile subscription with unlimited data usage. Minimum data usage abroad is 2 x 40 € / 3.5 € = 22.8 GB.
EU wholesale price is € 3.5 per GB plus VAT. Year 2020.
This price drops to € 3 in 2021 and € 2.5 in 2022.
Talk time card
If you have a talk time card, your mobile carrier should provide you with a data roaming usage that is at least the remaining amount of data on the card divided by EU´s wholesale price per GB of data roaming. Example: When you arrive in Spain you have € 12 on your card. You are thus entitled to a minimum of 12 € / 3.5 € = 3.4 GB.
Need more data?
You can continue with your own SIM card after you have exhausted your regular consumption. Your mobile carrier must charge a maximum of EU wholesale price of € 3.5 per GB.
You can also buy a SIM data card. Such a data card can be purchased at the airport, in kiosks, supermarkets, etc. In Canillas de Aceituno you can, for example, buy datacards in the hardware store, which is opposite La maroma restaurant. A single GB often costs roughly the same as the EU wholesale price ceiling, while large discounts are obtained for bigger data cards. Also great savings if you order data cards through websites on the Internet – for example from Lycamobile.
|
|
1 GB |
5 GB |
80 GB |
200 GB |
|
Price |
3,5 € |
7 € |
14 € |
28 € |
|
Per GB |
3,5 € |
1,3 € |
0,16 € |
0,13 € |
You can easily calculate how much data is needed. You should look at how many hours a day you will consume data, what kinds of data you will consume and in what quality.
Music streaming
Per hour 80 MB, standard quality, 240 MB, high quality. Spotify, YouSee Music, Itunes.
Netradio
Per hour 40 MB, alm. kvalitet, 120 MB, high quality.
Movie streaming
Per hour 300 MB, lav kvalitet, 700 MB, alm. kvalitet, 3000 MB, high quality. Netflix, HBO, TV2 play, YouSee.
Video on Skype
Per hour 240 MB.
Online gaming:
Per hour 40 MB
Surf the Web
Per hour average 50-80 MB.
Make a WIFI
Use mobile phone as hotspot
Make your mobile phone a local hotspot. You can use your own SIM card or you can use a SIM data card that you insert into your phone. If your phone has Dual SIM you can use both cards at the same time. Your mobile will be transformed into a small router or modem if you will.
Mobile hotspot from your iPhone
1. Go to Settings
2. Select the Internet Sharing button
3. Select Wi-Fi password if you want to create a personal code for the network
4. Turn on the Internet Sharing button at the top
Mobile hotspot from your Android phone
1. Go to Settings
2. Select Multiple Networks
3. Select Internet Sharing and Mobile Hotspot
4. Turn on Mobile Hotspot
5. Click Mobile Hotspot to see the hotspot name and password
Use mobile router as hotspot
You can also put your SIM data card in a mobile router such as Archer MR400 from TP-Link, or B525 from Huawei. Or you can put your SIM data card into a WiFi dongle, and connect this device to your smartphone, tablet, laptop or a battery.
There are lots of different routers and plenty of options to amplify the WIFI signal. For example, you can use a WiFi repeater – also called a WiFi Booster. The idea is that the signal from the main router is intercepted by other routers which amplify the signal. This is called WiFi Mesh technology.
Apps
To find the best location for your WIFI hotspot you can download an app that gives information about mobile masts near you. You can also download an app, or use the phone’s built-in capabilities – to keep track of your data usage.
Where can i buy?
SIM data card can be purchased at the airport, in kiosks, supermarkets, etc. In Canillas de Aceituno you can, for example, buy data cards in the hardware store, which is opposite La maroma restaurant. Also great savings if you order data cards through websites on the Internet – for example from Lycamobile.
If you want to see different kinds of mobile router, or a WiFi dongle, you could visit Worten, a large electronics supermarket, which you will find in Torre del Mar.