How to stay connected in Romania
A digital nomad cannot live without an internet connection or a smart mobile phone. Therefore, the country they will move to needs to excel in this domain. Upon your arrival in Romania, staying connected with your friends or simply your workplace is a priority. The following guide will show expats everything there is good to know about the best mobile internet in Romania, as well as the landline and internet connection here.
Getting connected in Romania
Expats that are coming to Romania and have a GSM mobile already can also use it here. There might be cases when it will be necessary to “unlock” the phone from the home country's network. You can do this by going to most mobile phone shops. However, if you have a CDMA phone (mostly popular in the US and Asia), it might not be possible to use it here.
You can buy SIM cards with mobile numbers for very reasonable prices, compared with the rest of Europe, and use them for calls or SMSs worldwide. Most of the mobile phone companies have prepaid SIM cards, and now, some of them offer fixed-line telephony as well.
Mobile networks in Romania
Romanian mobile cell phones are using GSM 900/1800 networks. These types of networks are common in much of Europe, Australia, and New Zeeland. Be aware that GSM will not be compatible with many mobile phones from North America or Japan. This is why it is important to ask your provider about this topic.
There are several mobile network service providers in Romania, from which the most popular and performant are Orange, Vodafone, Telekom. To buy a local sim card, you need just to drop by one of the offices of one of the providers above with your ID card.
All these providers have lots of different packages and offer, in terms of national and international minutes and calls, the Internet data package or prepaid plans perfect for a short stay.
Domestic and international calls in Romania
Romania is popular for its modern telephone network of landlines and mobile cell phones. You can make and receive international calls from anywhere through the country. The country code of Romania is 40, while all the landline numbers have ten digits. From there, the first ones are a zero, plus a city code and then comes the number.
Most of the international calls can be made from any type of mobile package. You just need to dial the number you want to reach. Make sure about the tariffs for those international calls.
Choosing a good prepaid option in Romania
So far, we presented the most popular mobile networks in Romania. Now, for getting a prepaid card, you just need to walk up to any shop from Orange, Vodafone or Telekom and buy a starter credit, which is around 5 euros or less. Be aware that some of the shops will ask you to present an identification card, ID or passport.
Now, as advice, expats should take a look at the website of each mobile provider and try to find the most decent and advantageous offer. Or, you can make this process easier by asking for the best and newest offers directly in the shop. Tell them what you are interested in. Maybe you want more international calls, maybe more internet data (MB).
Internet connection in Romania
Data gathered by Google has proved that Romania and Germany have the best performance among the European countries in terms of internet speed. For instance, it takes 8.1 seconds on average for pages to load, while the average speed in Poland, Sweden, and Italy exceeds 9 seconds.
Mobile connection providers have aligned their services to this amazing internet speed. Therefore, expats in Romania will benefit from this great advantage.
Landline formalities in Romania
Most of the accommodations in Romania have a landline and an internet connection. Note that the leading national telephone service provider was Romtelecom, now Telekom. But over the years, some mobile providers have made their own telecommunication markets, such as Orange, Vodafone, and RDS.
If you do not have a landline yet, you can apply for one in simple procedures. Call or go to the nearest office of the favourite service provider with these documents:
- The identity card and passport
- The lease contract if you are renting the accommodation
- Proof of residence
Note, however, that formalities and installation fees generally differ from one service provider to another. As regards the waiting period, it can vary between two days and two weeks, depending on the region where you live.
Finally, phone bills are issued on a monthly basis and are to be settled in post offices.
Wi-Fi and internet cafes in Romania
Until you obtain your own landline and internet connection, you can still access the internet in hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, etc. You can also find several internet cafes in most major cities, namely Bucharest, Sibiu, etc.
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