3G/4G coverge

[mustbjones]

Is the 3G/4G coverage very good on the Camino, or is France/Spain all gone LTE?

 

[Rebekah Scott]

I am not sure what all these letters mean.
You and your electronica will be fine when near to cities, but do not count on any kind of coverage out in the wilds beyond. Sometimes I am lucky to receive even regular mobile telephone calls in my little town. And that often is a good thing.

Reb.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I think LTE (Long Term Evolution) has been installed/tested in Madrid, but it is not widespread. The 3G coverage is decent.

 

[grayland]

Is the 3G/4G coverage very good on the Camino, or is France/Spain all gone LTE?

If you are walking from SJPdP you will be crossing about 800 km (500 mi) of Spain.
The same distance in any country would give you many answers. In many places there is no coverage at all and the quality varies constantly.
Think about walking 800 km from where you live and think how the cell reception would change.

 

[fortview]

If we used 3G as part of our data package, it would have cost a fortune ! I don't know if that applies to your plan? But there is free wifi nearly everywhere, in bars and albergues, so we used that instead. In some of the more remote places there is no signal, Foncebadon springs to mind .
Hope this helps ....

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I had 3G for less than 10E per week, so look for pay as you go plans. You will need and unlocked GSM phone to use a Spanish SIM.

 

[Diegomartine]

Here are the options (Tarifas) from Vodafone

http://yu.vodafone.es/#!/tarifas-de-pre ... co/tarifas

I got the 1GB option.

Purchased the SIM card on: http://www.simcardspain.es/en/

I received here on the US after 1 week. Tested on my unlocked iphone 5 and works fine!

 

[mustbjones]

Thank you all for your response, especially Diegomartine. I am glad to hear that the iPhone 5 is "still" unlocked. Were you with Verizon or ATT or Sprint? Just might make a difference if your carrier in the US is ATT (GSM), not Verison (CDMA)

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I took my unlocked 3GS to Verizon to see about switching to them, and they said that I could not because they do not use SIM chips! If you have a Verizon iPhone, it may not work in Spain.

 

[Diegomartine]

Thank you all for your response, especially Diegomartine. I am glad to hear that the iPhone 5 is "still" unlocked. Were you with Verizon or ATT or Sprint? Just might make a difference if your carrier in the US is ATT (GSM), not Verison (CDMA)

Dear mustbjones,

I have a Verizon iPhone 5, all the Verizon's iphones are factory unlocked! that means that you are all set... They are also compatible with GSM and CDMA.

So, does not matter if you have an iPhone 5 with Verizon, AT&T or Sprint, you can use it on Spain, no problems! If you have Verizon you are all set! If you have ATT or Sprint you need to check if is necessary to unlock the phone.

Verizon recommend me to call the customer service before leaving US so they can register on the system that I'm leaving for X days.

Thanks!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

If you have AT&T

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Data in Over
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$120 800MB
Overage: $30/120MB
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France and Spain are included. The cost is more than getting a SIM chip, but the hassle-free service addition might be worth it.

 

[mustbjones]

Diagomartine,

Does the service you chose (Vodafone) allow you to use your iPhone 5 as a hotspot? I will be bringing an iPad mini and my friend has an iPod Touch.

 

[zakosdad]

I have used both my AT&T iPhone and iPad in Europe and Israel - normally using wi-fi with no problems. Although you have to "buy" a one month minimum plan, when you return home you can cancel and then it is prorated for the time it was actually active.

Buen Camino

 

[Diegomartine]

Diagomartine,

Does the service you chose (Vodafone) allow you to use your iPhone 5 as a hotspot? I will be bringing an iPad mini and my friend has an iPod Touch.

Not sure on that one mustbjones...

BUT, I will say yes, because your phone is already unlocked to act as a hotspot on Verizon.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I think a hot spot requires 4G, and most of Spain is 3G. I am not sure that you can get 4G even if you buy a cell phone in Spain.

Ivar? Is 4G available?

 

[Diegomartine]

You can do the hotspot over 3G too, no problem.

The only restriction can be on the Vodafone network, some time they lock this option.

 

[mustbjones]

I don't quite understand how the "pay-as-you-go" works exactly. Can someone give me a short tutorial? Is there some sort of app that tracks usage and money balance? How do you add to it? or do you have to buy a new SIM each time?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

how the "pay-as-you-go" works exactly

You buy the SIM chip and put credit on it. As you make calls, your balance goes down. When you reach zero, only 112 works. You can add money to your account at phone stores, tobacco shops, newsstands, and some supermarkets. There is an option at most ATM's to add money to your account, but I have never tried it.

For data service, there is a weekly minimum charge. If you use more data than your allotment, your balance goes down. I generally get the one month plan with about 1G of data. It keeps me from having to add money too often. On a weekly plan, your data rate may be reduced, but the 1G plan keeps up the speed.

 

[mustbjones]

As you make calls, your balance goes down. When you reach zero, only 112 works. You can add money to your account at phone stores, tobacco shops, newsstands, and some supermarkets.

That is where things get fuzzy for me. How do you track your balance on an iPhone?

I generally get the one month plan with about 1G of data.

Diegomartine sent me to this website http://yu.vodafone.es/#!/tarifas-de-pre ... co/tarifas (which unfortunately I cannot translate.) This one, http://www.simcardspain.es/en/118-vodaf ... spain.html translate to English. Do I understand it correctly? I get 1G data, and 100 minutes for ~25 bucks a month?

PS Does a Spanish SIM work in France?
PSS I am willing to take this off line with either you or Diegomartine

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The Spanish SIM will not work in France.

Getting your balance is a tricky thing. I got a number from Vodafone on one trip, and it worked. The next trip, it did not. I asked the clerk how to get the balance, and she said there was no way. This last trip, the clerk gave me a number, and it worked. So ask, and you may receive!

 

[mustbjones]

So I have to buy a SIM while I am in France, correct? Doesn't Vodafone operate in France?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Vodafone is all over the place, but do not offer a unified service!!!

I like Orange in France.

 

[Diegomartine]

As you make calls, your balance goes down. When you reach zero, only 112 works. You can add money to your account at phone stores, tobacco shops, newsstands, and some supermarkets.

That is where things get fuzzy for me. How do you track your balance on an iPhone?

I generally get the one month plan with about 1G of data.

Diegomartine sent me to this website http://yu.vodafone.es/#!/tarifas-de-pre ... co/tarifas (which unfortunately I cannot translate.) This one, http://www.simcardspain.es/en/118-vodaf ... spain.html translate to English. Do I understand it correctly? I get 1G data, and 100 minutes for ~25 bucks a month?

PS Does a Spanish SIM work in France?
PSS I am willing to take this off line with either you or Diegomartine

Check your balance
You know the available balance on your card at all times Vodafone.


How it Works

You can dial * 134 # or call toll free 22 134

What does it cost?


€ 0.15 (0.18 € VAT Inc.)



Legal:

May not be used in the promotional balance Roaming calls at any numbering those aimed at providing gateway services, premium rate services (803, 806, 807, 905) and numbers of telephone consultation on subscriber numbers (188AB) and and data services, SMS and MMS. Also, not the promotional balance is allocated to the payment of fees for products or services that are not provided bonuses or promotions. To use the promotional balance the customer must have purchased credits minimum of 0.15 euros + VAT. Vodafone reserves the right to determine at any time the campaigns that may be used as promotional balance period expire.

 

[Diegomartine]

Here is the link: http://www.vodafone.es/particulares/es/ ... saldo-134/

 

[mustbjones]

I am sorry Diegomartine, but I do not read Spanish, nor do I see a way to set the webpage to English.

 

[Diegomartine]

I am sorry Diegomartine, but I do not read Spanish, nor do I see a way to set the webpage to English.

You could use http://translate.google.com

:wink: