Fixed-line phones
Mobile phones

Fixed-line phones

Installation & registration

When moving into a new home in Spain with a telephone line, you must have the account transferred to your name. If you’re planning to move into a property without an existing telephone line, you will need to have one installed (although this obviously isn’t compulsory!), which costs EUR 77.53.

To have a telephone installed or reconnected, you can visit your local Telefónica office. Telefónica has an Oficina Comercial in each province or an Oficina de Atención al Usuario. You will need to take along your passport or residence permit (residencia), proof of your address such as a recent electricity bill, and a copy of your property deed (escritura) or rental contract.

Alternatively, you can phone Telefónica (1004) or fill in a form online (www. telefonica.es).

If you’re renting and don’t have a residence permit, you must pay a deposit of around EUR 200. Note that staff don’t usually speak English. If you’re taking over a property from the previous occupants, you should arrange for the telephone account to be transferred to your name from the day you take possession. Before buying or renting a property, check that all the previous bills have been paid, otherwise you may find yourself liable for them.

You aren’t required to rent a telephone from Telefónica and it’s not very cost effective to rent a telephone long term (it’s usually worthwhile only if you wish to test a telephone or change it frequently). The cost of the cheapest model (Domo Uno) from Telefónica is EUR 30.05, although you can buy telephones elsewhere that cost less. You can choose from a wide range of all-singing, all-dancing models, which can be rented or purchased from Telefónica or purchased from other retailers.

Using the telephone

There are no town codes as such in Spain, where each province has its own area code (prefijo or códigos territoriales). All numbers have nine digits and include the area code, which must be dialled whether you’re making a local call or calling Spain from abroad.

When making a domestic call in the same province, i.e. to a number with the same provincial code, you must include the code. For example, to call Malaga (95) 123 4567 from within Malaga, you must dial 951 234 567 (which is how telephone numbers are now written in Spain).

The same applies when making an international call to Spain (previously the first digit, i.e. the 9, was dropped).

To make an international call from Spain, first dial 00 to obtain an international line, then dial the country code, e.g. 44 for Britain, the area code without the first zero and the subscriber’s number. To make a call to a country where there isn’t international direct dialling (IDD) you must dial 9198 for European countries plus Algeria, Lebanon, Syria or Tunisia, and 9191 for all other countries.

Numbers beginning with 900 are free, although they aren’t widely used in Spain and aren’t nearly as common as in Britain or (particularly) the US.

Don’t confuse 900 numbers with other numbers beginning with 9 (e.g. 903 and 906 which are information numbers), these are expensive and used by companies providing services such as weather forecasts, and financial and health information. The most expensive 903/906 numbers cost EUR 0.23 a minute (reduced rate) and EUR 0.91 a minute (peak rate), plus IVA.

All mobile phone numbers in Spain begin with the digit 6 and are generally more expensive to call than fixed-line phones.

The tones used in Spain are similar to other European countries, e.g. the dialling tone (señal para marcar) is a low continuous tone (similar to Britain and the USA), a ringing tone is a repeated long tone, and the engaged (busy) signal is a series of rapid pips.

If you get a recorded message after dialling, it may be telling you that all lines are engaged and to try again later. The message may also be telling you that the number you’ve dialled doesn’t exist (e.g. el número marcado no existe). If this happens, check that the number is correct and re-dial; if you’re dialling an international number, make sure you haven’t dialled the first zero of the area code.

To make a reverse charge/collect call (cobro revertido) dial 1009 for numbers within Spain, 1008 for the EU, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey, and 1005 for all other countries.

The usual Spanish response when answering the telephone is diga or dígame (meaning hello or literally, ‘speak to me’). The caller may preface what he has to say with oiga (listen). ‘I’m trying to connect you’ is le pongo/paso con and ‘go ahead’ may be simply adelante. A call is una llamada and to call is llamar.

Charges

Line rental and call charges in Spain are among the highest in Europe, although they’ve reduced considerably in recent years with increased competition.

Telephone charges from Telefónica include line rental; telephone and other equipment rentals; customs services such as call transfer and three-way conversation; credit card calls; and general call charges.

If you have a private line (línea individual), the monthly line rental or service charge (cuota de abono) is EUR 12.62 (levied monthly). People who are handicapped or aged 65+ who have an income below the Spanish minimum pension pay a reduced tariff on monthly rental and call charges. Telephone charges from other companies include general call charges and may include a fixed monthly fee. There’s intense competition for business among the numerous companies and tariffs change continuously.

To save money you should shop around for the lowest rates and choose the company with the lowest rates depending on the type of calls you wish to make. Be aware that rates for calls may not be consistently low in the same company and that some companies have aggressive marketing campaigns with cheap offers which often expire once the client has signed up.

There are two primary tariffs in Spain: national and international. National (i.e. domestic) tariffs are divided into local/metropolitan calls (metropolitana), calls within your province (provincial) and calls outside your province (nacional/interprovincial).

Local calls

Telefónica recently lost its monopoly on local calls, which are now offered by a number of providers. Competition for clients is intense and call charges are expected to continue to fall over the next year. Most providers charge an initial connection fee of EUR 0.07 and typical rates are EUR 0.01 (Tele2) or EUR 0.02 (Auna and Telefónica) a minute during normal times and EUR 0.005 (Tele2) or EUR 0.01 (Auna and Telefónica) a minute at reduced rate.

Normal (hora normal) hours are from 8am to 6pm hours, Mon-Fri, and reduced (reducida) hours from 6pm to 8am Mon-Fri, plus weekends and national public holidays.

Provincial and Interprovincial calls

Most companies offer these services and prices vary considerably, as do the peak and normal periods. Tele2, Telefónica and Auna charge a EUR 0.08 connection fee for each call, a service which is provided free by most others. Some companies, such as Auna and Telefónica, have two rate bands on weekdays, e.g. 8am to 8pm (normal) and 8pm to 8am (reduced). Weekends and public holidays are also at a reduced rate. Others such as Tele2 have a flat rate. Note that matters are further complicated by special deals offered by practically all companies.

Examples of provincial call charges range from EUR 0.02 a minute flat rate (Tele2), EUR 0.04 a minute normal tariff (Auna and Telefónica). Examples of interprovincial call charges range from EUR 0.03 a minute flat rate (Tele2) to EUR 0.07 a minute at normal tariff (Telefónica).

Bills

Bills (facturas) are sent at varying intervals depending on the company although they’re usually sent monthly and you’re given 20 days to pay. VAT (IVA) at 16 percent is levied on all charges. Itemised bills (factura detallada) are provided, listing all numbers called with the date and time, duration and the charge.

Bills can be paid in cash at most banks, via a bank account or in cash at a Telefónica office; cheques aren’t normally accepted. Simply present the bill with your payment (you will receive a receipt). You can also have your telephone bill paid by direct debit (domiciliación bancaria) from a bank account, which is advisable for holiday-home owners as it ensures that you aren’t disconnected for non-payment.

If your bill isn’t paid within 20 days, your line may be cut without further warning, although a new system has been introduced whereby lines with unpaid bills are reduced for ten days to incoming calls only, prior to cutting the service completely. If your line is cut, there’s a reconnection fee, which depends on the amount owing and the elapsed period, after which it should be reconnected within two working days. Note that all companies offer the possibility of checking your bills and telephone usage online.

International calls

It’s possible to make direct IDD (International Direct Dialling) calls from Spain to most countries, from both private and public telephones. A full list of IDD country codes is shown in the information pages (páginas informativas) of your local white pages, plus codes for main cities and tariffs.

To make an international call you must first dial 00 to obtain an international line. Then dial the country code (e.g. 44 for Britain), the area code without the first zero (e.g. 207 for central London) and the subscriber’s number. For example to call the central London number 020-7123 4567 from Spain you would dial 00-44-20-7123 4567. To make a call to a country without IDD you must dial 9198 for European countries plus Algeria, Lebanon, Syria and Tunisia, and 9191 for all other countries.

Competition for customers is fierce and in the last few years a price war has been waged by telephone companies. Auna, Tele2 and Telefónica both levy a EUR 0.12 connection fee for each call, a service provided free by most others. Most companies have peak and reduced rates, e.g. Auna, TeleConnect and Telefónica have a peak rate from Mon-Fri between 8am and 8pm with reduced rate at all other times, while others such as Tele2 have a flat rate at all times to anywhere in the world. Examples of the cheapest call charges range from EUR 0.08 flat rate a minute (Tele2) and a reduced rate of EUR 0.06 a minute (TeleConnect) for calls to Western Europe, and a peak rate of EUR 0.10 a minute (TeleConnect) and a reduced rate of EUR 0.24 a minute (Uni2) to the USA.

Note that tariffs are constantly being reduced and you should consult companies to find the cheapest rate for particular countries. Calls to Gibraltar are charged at the domestic rate for interprovincial calls. There’s a high surcharge for operator connected international calls.

Mobile telephones

Mobile telephones (telefonía móvil) were relatively slow to take off in Spain but in the last few years prices have fallen dramatically and sales have rocketed, making Spain the fastest-expanding country in the European Union for mobile phones.

All the major population areas are covered by both analogue and digital networks, although sparsely populated areas aren’t served or reception is difficult. Spain has both analogue (Moviline) and digital (Amena, Movistar and Vodafone) networks, although the analogue Moviline network is due to shut down in 2007. All networks cover around 90 per cent of the country and 98 per cent of the population. Note that all mobile telephone numbers in Spain start with the number 6.

Tariffs have fallen dramatically due to the price war that has been raging between the three service providers in the last few years. Before buying a phone or signing up for a service, compare the prices of the various services offered by all providers. All providers offer connection and monthly service charges, which vary depending on the particular tariff chosen. If you plan to use the phone a lot you should choose a tariff with a low call cost, which will have a higher monthly service charge. On the other hand, if you plan to use the phone infrequently or mainly for incoming calls, you should choose a tariff with a low monthly service charge and higher call rates.

A popular alternative to this service is the use of a pre-paid card (tarjeta), the first of which is installed when you buy the phone. The card provides you with a number and a line, and the credit must be used within a year after which you must renew the card or the phone will cease to function. Cards can be purchased for varying amounts, e.g. EUR 10, EUR 20 or EUR 50 from a wide range of outlets including estancos, newsagents, supermarkets, petrol stations and from machines.

The great advantage of this system is that you have complete control over how much you spend and when the card runs out you cannot spend any more (perfect for phone-addicts and teenagers!). As with fixed-line telephone companies, tariffs (for both national and international calls) are constantly changing, as are the times of peak and reduced rates. It’s worthwhile shopping around and comparing offers before deciding which service to buy.

In 2002 the use of mobile phones while driving was prohibited by law. No exceptions are allowed and there are large fines. You should install a ‘Hands Free’ unit in your car if you wish to use your mobile phone while driving.

This article is an extract from Living and Working in Spain, by David Hampshire. Published by Surival Books.