The best mobile phone companies in Spain

So, you have just moved to Spain, or are planning a move to Spain, or you just need to have a mobile phone in Spain.

Whatever the reason, I have written this blog post to let you know what the best phone companies are in Spain, in my opinion, of course.

Over the last two decades I have changed phone companies on numerous occasions.

Sometimes because I got angry with the company, sometimes because I got a better deal.

And that is what it’s all about – finding the deal that best suits you.

In Spain there are many mobile operators and they fall into two categories: Big operators and small operators.

Let me try to explain both types.

Big operators

There are three big mobile operators in Spain:

Movistar is the mobile arm of former state-owned Telefonica. It (together with Vodafone) was the first mobile phone company in Spain and has a dominant position in the Spanish market. It also boasts the best mobile coverage in Spain.

Vodafone is also a pioneer in the Spanish market although it was originally known as Airtel.

Orange, also a strong player in the market, is a French operator that hit the Spanish market in the early 2000s. They gained a strong position in the market after buying local operator Amena.

These three have the most ‘complete’ offers in Spain. And if you want a landline and TV services, these are companies you’ll need to get in touch with.

I have been a customer of both Movistar and Vodafone but I have never used Orange. In fact, my first mobile phone in Spain was with Airtel (now Vodafone).

Pros and cons of the big operators

Let’s start with the cons. Well, like all big companies, customer service is shocking. If you have a problem, good luck getting it fixed.

These companies focus on getting new clients and forgetting existing ones. Generally, it’s not until you threaten to leave do you get any type of service.

And when it comes to billing, watch out! These companies are notorious for adding ‘extras’ to your bill.

Tariffs are changed with little or no warning. You start off paying a reasonable price but bills increase over time. To give you an example, I started paying 49€ a month for one mobile line, TV, and a landline, and a year later I was paying 68€.

Now some pros

As I said before, these operators usually have the widest mobile coverage in Spain and they use the latest networks. If you want a reliable 5g connection in Spain, you’ll get it with either of these companies. Smaller companies do offer 5g, but their networks may not be as extensive as the big three.

Another pro is that if you need to upgrade your phone, Movistar, Vodafone and Orange always have plenty of offers available. They will also allow you to finance your phone over a period of time with little or no interest.

Small operators

When it comes to small mobile operators in Spain, you are spoilt for choice.

Here are some of the main ones (as of December 2022):

• Más Móvil (4th biggest in Spain)

• Jazztel (Orange)

• Simyo (Orange)

• O2 (Movistar)

• PepePhone (MásMóvil)

• Yoigo (MásMóvil)

• Digi Mobile (my current company)

• Lowi (Vodafone)

• Virgin Telco (Orange)

• Euskatel

The majority of these companies have been on the market for a while now and almost all are low-cost subsidiaries of the Big 3 operators.

Unfortunately, I have not used any of these companies except for Digi (I changed to Digi from Vodafone in Oct. 2022).

Given that they are low-cost operators, expect low-cost service. Not terrible, but needs improvement.

A lot of these companies also now offer home fibre connections too. And at more competitive prices than the Big 3. For example, you can O2 home internet 300mb for 27 euros a month currently (2022).

This company Lobster (Referral link) is a relatively new player in the Spanish market and are aimed at expat or foreign residents (English speakers) here in Spain.

Lobster only offers mobile plans in Spain but they seem competitive and I have heard positive things about them.

Most importantly, they offer customer service in English as they are based in Gibraltar.

My current phone company

The company that I am currently using for my mobile communications need is Digi.

Digi is a Romanian company that has been in the Spanish market as a pre-paid operator for a while now, but have recently started to offer fixed contracts and fibre plans as well.

I have 2 mobile lines with Digi (one with unlimited data and the other with 20gb/month) and a 10gb home fibre connection.

Considering the amount of videos I upload each month I need a fast, reliable provider and Digi has not let me down yet.

I pay €51 a month and there are NO hidden charges.

For the moment I am happy with Digi.