Help needed - Best mobile broadband for roaming

makintracks

I feel like I am going around in circles trying to get my head around this one... I will be in Spain for two months and need to be able to work using the internet as normal. I just can't figure out whether there is a mobile broadband provider that could offer a package deal for the two months or so that I need it, or whether I will just have to take my chances and see what I can get by way of internet cafes when I get there.

Internet cafes are normally quite pricey and you have to use a clunky computer that is not yours, so I would love to think there is a cost effective way this can be done.

The Fon option seemed like a fantastic idea at first, but it seems as if one would be at the mercy of someone actually having their router switched on and then find a spot where you can actually work from as well. I am not sure how successful this would be, but if anybody has used this service, I would welcome any feedback.

Thanks in advance.

Regeneration

You basically have the choice of the 4 following companies for mobile broadband in spain Orange, Vodafone, Movistar & Yoigo. You May also find the following website useful for buying a spanish sim card and avoiding the roaming charges all together http://www.spainsim.com/

gairlochgal

will you be travelling around spain or staying in one town? When I was in Canaries this spring there was a local ISP who were offering short term broadband subscriptions - think it went down as low as one week. Not sure how you'd find out about that - maybe through one of those local websites where they advertise businesses etc for UK expats and visitors

makintracks

Thanks for the info. I have checked the SpainSim site and it may be viable, albeit still pricey. Trouble is that I would have to buy the dongle as well, since my phone is not 3G. I guess if I had a 3G phone I wouldn't need the dongle....

I will be staying in the same place all the time and the folks there have mentioned some kind of short term subscription, but could not give me any specific details. Not very helpful as I have been unable to establish how much it would cost, what equipment would be required or anything for that matter.

neilsedaka

I am on holiday in Australia and am contemplating 3G mobile broadband for the areas in cities where we will not have access to normal broadband. The best that I have found so far is the HSPA D1 plan at

http://www.exetel.com.au/residential-hspa-pricing.php

for AUD$195 (currently about £85.63 charged on my Nationwide card) which includes the Huawei E169 3G dongle which is unlocked and the first month of 5Gb access on Optus. Subsequent months are AUD$37.50 (about £16.47) for 5Gb per month. The USB dongle only works on 900 and 2100 MHz networks. There is zero contract period and therefore no tie to Exetel or Optus. I may be able to use the USB dongle in other countries such as New Zealand, Europe and possibly USA if I can find suitable providers.

Critique welcome please. Any better ideas?