The Principality of Andorra is a landlocked microstate in Southwestern Europe located in the eastern Pyrenees and bordered by Spain and France.
Although prices are slowly falling, Andorra remains one of the most expensive places in Europe to use a mobile phone, both for purchasing a local SIM card and for roaming with a SIM card outside Andorra. You should limit your data usage until you reach another region of France or Spain at much better prices.
European roaming in Andorra
Please note that Andorra is not part of the EU or EEA, where new international roaming rules come into force from June 2017. Therefore, roaming rates in Andorra are not limited or regulated and can be much higher.
European providers treat Andorra very differently: few charge the same fees as in the EU area, but most add a significant additional charge for usage while roaming in Andorra. Better to check your EU/EEA provider first before using, connect to a French/Spanish provider if possible, or buy a local SIM card instead.
Fortunately, these high costs can often be avoided since Spanish or French antennas cover most of the country. So, as always in border areas covered by multiple networks, be sure to prevent roaming by manually selecting a network. Down in the valley, 3G/4G reception from Spain or France is very poor. If you’re staying longer, you may want to consider buying a local SIM card, despite the high costs, or look ahead to one of the few cheap roaming options.
Andorra Telecom
Andorra Telecom is the only network provider in this small country. The state-owned company was previously called Servei de Telecomunicacions d’Andorra (STA), also known as Som. Like most of Europe, there is 2G on 900 and 1800 MHz and 3G/UMTS on 2100 MHz. 4G/LTE operates at frequencies of 1800 MHz and 800 MHz (bands 3 and 20).
Availability
Their prepaid product used to be called Mobiland Clic! It is now called Prepagament for prepayment only. You can purchase a SIM card at the head office of Andorra Telecom at Av. Merixell 112 in Andorra la Vella or its distributors . The SIM card comes as a triple-cut card, allowing you to choose between mini, micro or nano sizes. Andorra Telecom will ask for your ID, so be prepared to take it with you (passport or national ID).
A SIM card usually costs a whopping 30 euros, including the same credit, valid for 5 months. There is currently a promotion in which the kit costs only 15 euros, including the same credit, valid for 2 months. If you activate a SIM card with one of the two packages, the cost of the SIM card is waived. After this, you can upgrade to a pay-as-you-go package.
Activation of the eSIM can also be done online and will only cost the cost of a month of service (you must choose Tariff S or Tariff M). You will need to create an online account on the Andorra Telecom website, upload a photo of your passport as well as a selfie and wait for an email confirmation that your registration has been accepted. Once done, follow the link to complete your online account creation and select your desired starting plan.
You can top up your balance using vouchers for 15, 30 or 60 euros, which can be purchased in stores. Any replenishment increases the validity period by one year. Check your credit by dialing *101#.
All top-ups are valid for one year. If you run out of credit, you will have 2 months to top up your card. During this time, you will be able to receive calls and SMS within the country. If you do not top up your account within this time, the number will be automatically unsubscribed and you will not be able to restore it.
Packages
There are now two sets of packages that provide both data and voice capabilities:
- Tariff S: 20 minutes domestically and 1 GB for 9 euros.
- Tariff M: 60 minutes domestically and 3 GB for 19 euros.
If you exceed the limit, you will be charged the usage fee shown below for data and €0.26 per minute for voice. SMS messages are not included: each one costs €0.16.
Data Feature Packs
Data usage is charged at €0.02 per MB, excluding packages that must be activated by sending an SMS. To check your data balance, send a free blank SMS to 123. The following packages are sold (tax included):
| Price | Volume | Validity | Activation code |
|---|---|---|---|
| €2 | 200 MB | 3 days | empty SMS to number 102 |
| €5 | 500 MB | 7 days | empty SMS to number 103 |
| €9 | 1 GB | 1 month | empty SMS to number 104 |
International roaming
Since Andorra is not part of the EU or EEA, their rules do not apply. For roaming in Europe and the USA, a daily roaming package is sold for 2 euros with 300 MB, valid until midnight of the day. Otherwise, in Europe and the USA, data transfer charges will be charged at €0.05 per MB.
More information
- APN: Internet
- Andorra Telecom has an application that allows you to manage your tariff and top up your SIM card.
- Website (partially in English, modified top right): http://www.andorratelecom.ad/
Roaming options from foreign providers
Since Andorra is not a member state of the EU/EEA, it is excluded from the general “roam like home” roaming area of almost all European providers. This means that roaming data on Andorra Telecom’s only network is, in most cases, charged at inflated rates. You should try to avoid any connection with Andorra Telecom, choosing a Spanish provider instead. But coverage in the valley can be quite weak and unstable on Spanish 3G and 4G/LTE networks.
Roaming with Spanish providers
According to this article by Xatakamóvil, Spanish providers charge inflated rates ranging from €3.63 per MB to €18.15 per MB. The only exception is Movistar , which charges a generous €9 per 3GB per day for contract customers only, not prepaid customers.
For all Spanish Orange SIM cards , such as the Mundo SIM card, you can activate the “Everywhere” option in your customer account, using the application or by texting “EW” to 22095. This gives you 100 MB per calendar day according to price 7 euros in Andorra.
Roaming with French providers
The situation with French providers is slightly better, again thanks to Orange : Andorra is part of the EU zone of French Orange SIM cards and charges the domestic French rate. This applies to prepaid SIM cards such as Orange Holiday or Mobicarte, as well as contracts like Sosh’s.
Roaming with other foreign providers
Most other EU providers now exclude Andorra from their preferential roaming zone because they have to pay much higher wholesale prices for their customers to use Andorra Telecom’s monopoly network. If you’re staying for a short time, turn off data roaming or try connecting to a Spanish provider; if you’re staying for a long time, buy a local SIM card.