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There
are
three
major
providers
in
Spain: |
Movistar
(dominant operator with 65% of market, part of Telefónica)
Vodafone (brought Airtel in 2002 and
is aggressively trying to expand market share)
Amena (a subsidiary of Grupo Auna,
is growing fast and offers good rates, but can have
poorer coverage in some areas). Spain operates on a
GSM network. For Europeans and many other countries,
this means that your current phone will probably work
in Spain. If you are coming from North America or parts
of Asia you will probably have a CDMA phone, which will
not work. For a GSM phone, you just need a new SIM card,
available at any mobile phone outlet. There is no need
to shop around for prices since the cost of SIM card
varies very little from retailer to retailer.
Prices on new phones differ greatly depending on the
retailer and the mobile operator. While each operator
has its own retail outlets, prices tend to be better
elsewhere. Large retailers like Carrefour offer relatively
good deals. |
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Mobile
telephones in Spain operate on the same principals as
anywhere else in the world. They are predominantly pay-as-you-go
phones although all companies offer contracts whereby
your call fees are taken from your bank on a monthly basis. |
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All
phones in Spain are now digital and are available everywhere.
They are considerably cheaper than the UK. When you purchase
a mobile phone from a shop, it will be one of two options:
It will either be tied to a SIM card and only useable
on that card or it will be 'libre' which is open to all
SIM cards. The 'open' phones are more expensive but this
means that you are not tied to any particular company.
It also means that if you travel abroad, you can simply
change your SIM cards, depending on the country you are
in. When you purchase a new phone you will have credit
on the SIM card. This is usually more than the actual
cost of the phone. This encourages you to stick with a
particular company. |
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If
your UK phone is locked to a particular SIM card, there
are dealers who will (although technically illegal), unlock
your phone for a small fee (usually 10€). Look on
the markets in particular. |
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Things
to watch out for when purchasing a mobile phone in Spain;
1. Ask
if it is open 'libre' or not
2. Make
sure you get your instruction book in your own language
(most dealers will give a photocopy in your language)
3. Ask
for your guarantee card and get it stamped and dated
by the dealer
4. If
purchasing second-hand, make sure it is a digital phone
and not an obsolete analogue phone
5. Make
sure you have the PIN numbers with the phone and make
a note of them
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Call
charges
Call charge plans are quite difficult to understand, however,
here are a few pointers:
Prepaid
and contract rate plans have two groups: hourly rates
and universal rates. The cost of your calls will depend
on when you call. Hourly rates divide the day
into several time segments each with its associated price
per minute. For example, for its prepaid users, Vodafone
breaks up the day into 3 segments: 0:00-6:00, 6:00-16:00
and 16:00-24:00. Tariffs are much lower in the early morning
and late in the day and are at their peak during business
hours. Universal rates are simpler in that they offer
one fixed rate regardless of the time of day, but this
is on average higher.
Call costs also depend on the destination. There are different
rates depending whether you called a fixed line, to mobiles
with the same company and to other mobiles. Calls to mobiles
with the same operator are the cheapest while calls to
mobiles outside that operator are the most expensive,
so it can be worth finding out what operator your best
friends use).
A few other very important notes regarding calling rates,
except for special promotions, all providers:
charge
€0.12 to establish the call
charge €0.15 per domestic SMS, unlike other countries
sending a SMS abroad is not the same price!
charge 16% IVA (value-added tax) on top of their publicised
rates
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