Basics[]
Tourists may not need an extra SIM card for this small territory, because Spanish antennas cover a major part of it and EEA SIM cards (including Spanish ones) roam in Gibraltar without a surcharge. But in some densely built-up areas of the town area and on the southern tip of the rock 3G/4G coverage is not reached from Spain. Although roaming with a Spanish SIM card is not surcharged, it is either at reduced bandwidth or takes up to an hour or longer to connect. So if you stay for longer, you may think of buying a local SIM card.
Although Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory, it's not part of the UK. Therefore Gibraltarian networks' rules and policies differ from those of UK networks, in particular in respect of validity.
Only one network operator remains on the air covering every part of the rock in 2G, 3G, 4G/LTE and new on 5G NR:
- Gibtelecom
A second operator called Shine Mobile suspended its services in 2016.
EU/EEA roaming[]
Following a referendum held in 2016, the United Kingdom (and its overseas territory Gibraltar) left the EU on 31st January 2020, but remained in the EU's single market, and therefore bound by EU legislation including roaming regulations until 31st December 2020.
For the period past 2021 the legally-binding EU regulation was replaced by a set of intentions of the EU-UK trade agreement. According to Article SERVIN.5.36 "transparent and reasonable rates for international mobile roaming services in ways that can help to promote the growth of trade and enhance consumer welfare" are envisioned. "Transparency and competition with respect to international mobile roaming rates" shall be maintained by making easily available "information regarding retail rates ... for international mobile roaming services for voice, data and text messages offered to end users when visiting".
This means that surcharge-free roaming of UK and Gibraltarian operators in EEA countries and surcharge-free roaming in Gibraltar using continental providers have been extended voluntarily since 2021 and is beginning to break off.
So there is now no hard regulation of roaming charges, retail or wholesale, between Gibraltar and EU/EEA countries, even though many providers, including the only provider in Gibraltar Gibtelecom, continue to apply no roaming surcharges as previously. But some European operators have regrouped Gibraltar along with the UK from their EU group or may do so in the future. So check carefully each European provider that you use in the territory.
Gibtelecom[]
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The state-owned company remains the only mobile provider and has by far the best coverage around the rock. 2G is on 900 MHz and 1800 MHz and 3G on 2100 MHz. 4G/LTE has started in 2016 on 800 (Band 20) and 2600 (Band 7) MHz bands to be added by 1800 MHz (Band 3) all over the territory.
In June 2021 5G/NR started on Gibtelecom. It's available to all mobile customers and at no extra cost. You’ll need a compatible 5G device, and a 4G-ready SIM card as these will seamlessly work on 5G. If you’re on an older generation SIM card, Gibtelecom will swap it for free. The Gibraltar Regulatory Authority has approved the use of spectrum in the 3.5GHz - 3.6GHz band (n78), and at 700 MHz (n28) for 5G.
Availability[]
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The pay-as-you-go SIM card is available from their Customer Service Centre in John Mackintosh Square and further two dozen outlets in the city (list) for £10 including credit of the same amount.
The minimum top-up is £5. Reload cards of £10 and £25 are widely available throughout town. Look for the sticker on stores saying “reload card”. To top-up by voucher, type: *101*<voucher code>#. To check credit, type *100# or call 888 for free. You can also top-up online by credit card on their website.
Validity[]
The validity period of the account is 270 days from the date of your last recharge, after which any outstanding credit will be lost. You then have an extra month in which you will only be able to receive calls and replenish your account. If your account is not replenished, service will be lost for a further 90 days, after which the account will be disconnected resulting in the loss of your mobile number. During these 90 days service will be restricted, but can be restored by replenishing your account.
Data feature packs[]
Default rate outside bundles and rate for overuse is £0.17 per MB.
The following packages are available online, via the Gibtelecom app or by SMS command:
| Data | Time | Price | Activation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 GB | 30 days | £12 | DATA2GB |
| 5 GB | 30 days | £16 | DATA5GB |
| 8 GB | 30 days | £20 | DATA8GB |
| 15 GB | 30 days | £25 | DATA10GB |
| 'unlimited' * | 7 days | £12 | DATA7 |
(*) = 'unlimited' means this FUP: Upon reaching 5 GB of usage, the speed will be reduced to 512 Kbps. Thereafter, at 8 GB the speed will be reduced to 256 Kbps and at 12 GB the speed will be reduced to 128 Kbps.
For activation text code to 8100, go online to your personal account or use the Gibtelecom app. Their FUP bans VoIP, continuous streaming, excessive downloading and p2p file sharing, but this seem to be enforced anymore. Additional packs may be purchased and added. To check data balance, text 'DATACHECK' to 8100 for free or use the Gibtelecom app.
Useful to know:
- Pay-as-you-go 5G data speeds are uncapped, VoLTE will also work so long as you have a supported device.
- My Gibtelecom App: If you wish to register for the app, you will need to visit the Gibtelecom office and present your passport or ID in order to receive an email invite, this is completely optional as SIM cards remain anonymous so long as you do not ask for the app registration. You can still use self service and online recharge without the mobile app.
No contract plans[]
Gibtelecom has issued a new "no contract" line of plans that are hybrid prepaid. This means they need to be linked to a credit or debit card from where the monthly payment is deducted ahead of the month, but can be stopped anytime by app or on your account. Therefore their Gibtelecom app or a my Gibtelecom personal account is mandatory to manage these plans. For more information check these tutorials here. These three monthly "no contract" plans are offered:
- 6 GB, 50 mins/txts: £16
- 10 GB, 75 mins/txts: £20
- 15 GB, 100 mins/txts: £25
Take care that beyond these allowances regular out of bundle charges of £0.17 per MB apply.
For extra data you can add these boosters to the 'no contract' plans by app or personal account:
- 2 GB: £10
- 5 GB: £14
- 8 GB: £18
- 15 GB: £23
Data boosters are valid until the end of the month of the regular plan and don't renew.
EU roaming[]
All allowances and packages on pay as you go and no contract plans can be used for roaming in all EU/EEA + UK countries without surcharges at the domestic rate.
More information[]
- APN: www.gibtele.com
- Website: http://www.gibtele.com