Phone connection on VDLP

[Fred2a]

Hi,
The Via de la Plata is renowned for its long stretches between villages or cities.
I was wondering if mobile phones can get connection on those long stages or if you only get some when you approach civilisation.
Thank you !!

 

[Waka]

I walked for two weeks on the VdlP and had no problems with connections at all, I'm with vodaphone but with another carrier it may be different. Having said all that further into the camino it might be different.

 

[MesaWalker]

We walked the VdlP this past fall and had no problems on T-Mobile. But we weren't using our phones a whole lot between cities except for GPS.

 

[Robo]

I had good reception from Sevilla to Astoga last year (Vodafone)

 

[Jeff B]

I walked for two weeks on the VdlP and had no problems with connections at all, I'm with vodaphone but with another carrier it may be different. Having said all that further into the camino it might be different.

I had the same experience with Vodaphone - Sevilla to Santiago. For sure though, there are likely some 'dead' areas, especially in the mountains.

 

[camino07]

I had a couple of times with no network with Orange . This April I will try Vodaphone or would Movistar be better? I had arranged to be picked up after the Pico de Dueno by Carreras V11 Hostal. No network so no pick up.

 

[Fred2a]

Thank you all for your answers !

 

[Corned Beef]

Here's the map of network coverage which would confirm all of the above. 5G might be sporadic but there is good 4G on the whole route plus Sanabres

Vodafone Movil 3G / 4G / 5G coverage - nPerf.com

Compare the network coverage of mobile operators and check their performance at home !

www.nperf.com

 

[Roy Kelly]

Hi,
The Via de la Plata is renowned for its long stretches between villages or cities.
I was wondering if mobile phones can get connection on those long stages or if you only get some when you approach civilisation.
Thank you !!

My U.S. mobile carrier is AT&T. They have no direct service in Spain but for $10 per day they connect me through local carriers. I've not had any problems on my previous Caminos (Frances, Portugues, Ingles) so I don't anticipate any problem on the VdlP in April.

 

[Bradypus]

My U.S. mobile carrier is AT&T. They have no direct service in Spain but for $10 per day they connect me through local carriers. I've not had any problems on my previous Caminos (Frances, Portugues, Ingles) so I don't anticipate any problem on the VdlP in April.

$10 a day sounds pretty expensive. I bought an Orange SIM on arrival for my last VdlP walk for 20 euro which gave me enough voice minutes, SMS messages and data for my entire walk.

The VdlP is a very different route from the Frances, Portugues or Ingles. More remote sections away from towns or larger villages. I know that I had a few dead spots without coverage in the mountain area near the Galician border. Possibly elsewhere too but I wasn't checking my phone coverage very much. I tend to leave the phone in airplane mode while not actively in use to save the battery.

 

[Roy Kelly]

$10 a day sounds pretty expensive. I bought an Orange SIM on arrival for my last VdlP walk for 20 euro which gave me enough voice minutes, SMS messages and data for my entire walk.

The VdlP is a very different route from the Frances, Portugues or Ingles. More remote sections away from towns or larger villages. I know that I had a few dead spots without coverage in the mountain area near the Galician border. Possibly elsewhere too but I wasn't checking my phone coverage very much. I tend to leave the phone in airplane mode while not actively in use to save the battery.

My U.S. AT&T 14 Pro iPhone doesn't have a physical SIM card. It uses eSIM. I don't know if I can use another carrier's services directly through my eSIM.

 

[WisTom]

When I walked the VdlP/Sanabrés/Muxia, I used Movistar. I also used Movistar last year on the Mozárabe, San Salvador, and Primitivo. Last year, the cost was roughly 20 euros for 50gb of data and unlimited calls for a month and the coverage was solid throughout all the routes mentioned. Although wifi is sometimes available in the towns (not as common on less walked caminos), I typically use data between towns to follow Gronze Maps, for Whatsapp as necessary, and to check ahead for accommodations when walking. I can't imagine paying $10/day ($300/mo) when Spanish plans are so simple and inexpensive. It's just a matter of switching the SIM card. If the phone does not take a physical SIM card, there are eSIM options available.

 

[SturdyLegs]

I recently walked Seville to Santiago (via Sanabres) and had no problems with reception via Orange. This said, I do not use the phone much, so it's possible there are patches with no coverage I am not aware of.

 

[Jeff B]

I walked for two weeks on the VdlP and had no problems with connections at all, I'm with vodaphone but with another carrier it may be different. Having said all that further into the camino it might be different.

Have used both carriers on different caminos...both worked well. Suggest that shortly before you go you look online to see which has the better deal 'at the moment'.

 

[Rita Flower]

I think there are probably areas without coverage. I sometime FaceTimed family while walking and lost connection.
Coming from Australia that is nothing new so I thought nothing of it.
But mostly there was connection. I used to stream music in the mornings and that was fine.
My audio books and other music was off line so all still available.

 

[Steve5000]

Hi,
The Via de la Plata is renowned for its long stretches between villages or cities.
I was wondering if mobile phones can get connection on those long stages or if you only get some when you approach civilisation.
Thank you !!

Hi Fred. Just returned from two weeks - Sevilla to Merida - and can advise good coverage with the 3 network. Same as the others I didn’t check every minute of the walk but no major dead spots.

USD 10 per day sounds outrageous to me! Local sims would provide a more effective solution imho For the eSIM users, yes you can use multiple/additional eSIMs on most leading phones. Check or google for details but not difficult if I can do it!

Buen Camino