HEALTHPLAN MAGAZINE

Whether you're planning on moving to Spain in the near future or are already resident here, at one point or another you will need to get yourself an internet connection of some sort or another.

It's a fact that the vast majority of us can't go a few minutes without logging into social media websites, checking our emails or catching up on our favourite British soap's online.

So what are your options, how much will it cost and who are the best broadband internet providers in Spain?

Have a read of the information below and get up to speed with what's currently on offer.

Who Are the Biggest Broadband Providers in Spain?

Movistar are without doubt the biggest broadband provider in Spain and are owned by telecommunications giant Telefonica. They are very much the dominant player in the Spanish telecoms industry and have a market share of over 40% and a customer base of over 22 million people.

Next comes Vodafone who in 2014 purchased Ono, the biggest cable broadband provider in Spain. The acquisition of Ono means that Vodafone are now the second largest provider in the country.

Then we have a company that will be familiar to many of us, which is Orange. Orange España is a mobile network provider and owned by France Télécom España S.A. France Télécom acquired Amena in 2005 and rebranded it as Orange España.

Another big player is MasMovil who are thought to be the fourth biggest provider of broadband services in Spain. MasMovil claim to be the cheapest and offer customer support in six languages including English.

Jazztel are a smaller provider of ADSL, telephone, television and fibre internet services nationally, but are actually owned by a UK company, Jazztel PLC.

All of the major providers offer standard cable and fibre optic broadband services with speeds ranging from 10 Mb to 300 Mb. You may also have the option of either symmetric or asymmetric connection. A symmetric broadband connection provides you with the same upload and download speeds meaning a faster and less interrupted service and is standard with many of the current broadband deals.

Although a number of providers will advertise speeds of around 50 Mb, in reality the majority of us will only get download speeds of around 10 M/bits on average. As a rule-of-thumb, the further away you are from the local exchange, the slower your connection will be.

Fibre optic broadband is now becoming more widely available in larger towns and cities with the majority of providers advertising speeds of up to 300 Mb. All of the major broadband providers on this page offer the 300 Mb connections.

In many areas you will find a number of smaller local internet providers and agents who provide internet packages.

If you live in a rural area you may not have a fixed line so may need a wireless broadband solution instead (See below)

Wireless Broadband Providers

If you live in the campo/countryside there's a good chance that you will not have a fixed telephone line running into your property. Fortunately, there are a number of companies that provide wireless broadband solutions. There are two types on offer, which are Satellite Internet or WiMax.

Unfortunately, both of these technologies are both slower and more expensive (as a dish will need to be installed) than regular cable or fibre broadband, but if needs must, do provide you with a connection which should be sufficient for you to browse the web and send and receive email.

WiMax is a towered system meaning that a dish receiver would need to be installed at your property and positioned in-line with a local transmitter, which sits on top of a tower. Wimax speeds are generally around 6 Mb so a lot slower than regular broadband.

Satellite broadband is basically transmitted via one of the many satellite dishes up in the sky and like WiMax requires a receiver dish at your property. Unfortunately, like WiMax, Satellite broadband is both slow and expensive.

Below you can find a list of providers of WiMax and Satellite broadband providers in Spain.

http://www.telitec.com/internet/
https://www.iberbanda.es
http://www.iberbandainenglish.com/
http://www.satbroadbandspain.com/
https://www.eurona.com/en/wimax-particulares/

Which Broadband Companies in Spain Provide Support in English?

All of the broadband providers apart from Jazztel offer both customer services and technical support in English. See contact numbers below.

How Much Is Broadband in Spain?

Prices vary between €15 - €35 euros per month for the broadband services and between €17 and €21 for phone line rental per month. So allow between €30 to €55 per month all in depending on whether you go for 50 Mb or 300 Mb and whether the connection is symmetric or asymmetric.

Many providers also offer bundles including mobile phone deals and television packages so can increase your monthly bill further.

Most contracts are 12 months in duration and in most cases include a free Wifi router.

What Will I Need to Get Connected?

You won't need much, just the following.

• A working telephone line
• Bank account
• NIE number or a passport

Obviously, if you also need a phone line installed this can be done prior to the activation of the broadband. Most phone line installations are carried out by Movistar regardless of which broadband provider you go with as they own most of the telecoms infrastructure in the country.

Which Is the Best Spanish Internet Provider?

This will depend on what you want personally in terms of speed, reliability, functionality, customer service and of course, how much you want to pay. If your Spanish is limited, you may want to opt for one of the main providers that offer English telephone support.

Below you will find a list of the top providers, their contact information and their current offers and bundles.

If you are calling in regards to an account inquiry or if you have a technical query, make sure you have all of your account information to hand before calling them.

*** All information correct as of 18/04/2017 and updated periodically.

List of Broadband Internet Providers In Spain

Movistar

Customer Service: 1004 (24/7 free calling from a landline or mobile)
Customer Service: +34 699 991 004 (if calling from outside of Spain)
Technical Support: 1002
English Speaking Support: Yes
Website: www.movistar.es
Social Media: Twitter @movistar_es - Facebook @movistar.es
Current Offer #1: 50Mb Fibre Broadband Deal - €14,90 per month (Line rental not included €17,40 per month) - Was €38 per month. 12 month contract.

Current Offer #2: 50Mb Symmetrical Fibre Broadband Offer - €19,90 per month (Line rental not included €17,40 per month) - Was €43 per month. 12 month contract.

Current Offer#3: 300Mb Fibre Broadband Deal - €26,90 per month (Line rental not included €17,40 per month) - Was €43 per month. 12 month contract.

Current Offer #4: 300Mb Symmetrical Fibre Broadband Offer - €31,90 per month (Line rental not included €17,40 per month) - Was €48 per month. 12 month contract.

Offers URL: http://www.movistar.es/particulares/internet/adsl-fibra-optica?pid=PA-home-NuestrosProductos-3

Vodafone

Customer Service: 123 (free to call from a Vodafone mobile) or 607 123 000 (if calling from a different mobile network or from abroad. If calling from abroad remember to use +34)
Technical Support: 22 155
English Speaking Support: Yes
Website: www.vodafone.es
Social Media: Twitter @vodafone_es - Facebook @vodafoneES
Current Offer #1: 50Mb Fibre Symmetrical Broadband Deal - €14,90 per month (Line rental not included €18,15 per month) - 12 month contract.

Current Offer #2: 300Mb Symmetrical Fibre Broadband Offer - €27,90 per month (Line rental not included €18,15 per month) - 12 month contract.

Offers URL: https://www.vodafone.es/tienda/particulares/es/internet-y-fijo/fibra-ono-fijo/

MasMovil

Customer Service: 2373 (free to call from a MasMovil mobile) or 911 333 333 (if not calling from a MasMovil number) If calling from abroad +34 693 772 373.
New Customers: 900 696 000
English Speaking Support: Yes
Website: https://new.masmovil.es/
Social Media: Twitter @masmovil1 - Facebook @masmovil
Current Offer #1: 50Mb Fibre Broadband Deal - €10,00 per month (Line rental not included €19,99 per month) - 12 month contract.

Current Offer #2: 300Mb Symmetrical Fibre Broadband Offer - €25,00 per month (Line rental not included €19,99 per month) - 12 month contract.

Offers URL: https://new.masmovil.es/solo-internet/

Jazztel

Customer Service: 1565 (free to call from a Jazztel phone number) or 640 00 1565 (if not calling from a Jazztel number) If calling from abroad +34 911 401 565
English Speaking Support: No
Website: https://www.jazztel.com/
Social Media: Twitter @jazztel_es - Facebook @jazztel
Current Offer #1: 50Mb Fibre Broadband Deal - €14,90 per month. Was €24.14 per month (Line rental not included €20,99 per month) - 12 month contract.

Current Offer #2: 300Mb Fibre Broadband Offer - €25,90 per month. Was €36,24 (Line rental not included €20,99 per month) - 12 month contract.

Offers URL: https://www.jazztel.com/internet/ofertas-fibra.html

Orange

Customer Service: 900 906 121 (if calling from within Spain) or +34 695 911 900
English Speaking Support: Yes
Website: http://internet.orange.es/adsl/
Social Media: Twitter @orange_es - Facebook @OrangeESP
Current Offer #1: 50Mb Fibre Symmetric Broadband Deal - €14,95 per month. Was €25,95 per month (Line rental not included €18,15 per month) - 12 month contract.

Current Offer #2: 300Mb Symmetric Fibre Broadband Offer - €26,95 per month. Was €37,95 (Line rental not included €18,15 per month) - 12 month contract.

Offers URL: http://internet.orange.es/adsl/

Note: There is an English page/site, which is provided by Orange, but prices are different to those of the main Spanish site. The page also provides customer support and technical support information. You can see that page at http://en.orange.es/

What's your own personal experience of getting broadband in Spain and the level of service and customer support you have received? Please share your experience with us on this article via our Facebook page.

*** Please note that Health Plan Spain is not affiliated with any of these companies and all readers are advised to do their own due diligence prior to commencement of any contract.

Image courtesy of Antonio Nicolás Pina on Flickr