What is the best internet provider and phone sim card?

Hi,

How few months? Because by some weird cosmic coincidence establishing a wired internet connection (ADSL, Cable or Fiber) may take exactly a few months :-)
And they'll hit you with extra rates if you don't sign up for a whole year.

ADSL prices are similar across providers, who are in fact re-selling the same infrastructure, so the service is quite uniform too. If you want a landline phone anyway, you may get a discount.
Cable companies just so happen to avoid offering service on each others turf, so you'll be limited to a choice of one. If you want cable TV as well, you may get a discount.
Inner city gets super cheap, super fast "fiber to the home" access, pick that if you can.


There are only 3 mobile operators, but they at least pretend to compete. Depending on your internet needs, their broadband offering might be competitive with the fixed providers.

You can simply walk in to a shopping mall, find all three, and get your SIM cards and data modem from the one where finding an English-speaking rep takes the least time.

By same weird cosmic coincidence, I also need mobile internet connection, during the exactly a few months it may take to get a wired connection with more bandwidth.

Following szocske’s good advice, one of the first things I’ll be doing, the moment I jump off the boat, is drop into one of those mammoth plazas on the west side, lean heavily on the English button, and gear myself up with a 3G mobile internet stick and SIM card.  In time I hope someone will teach me Hungarian.  Meanwhile, thank heavens for English, it opens so many doors!

Sadly, I got used to living in a country overflowing with documents, and this surfeit of paper combined with my natural paranoia, makes me tremble more than I should.  I wonder, is this mobile internet purchase really as simple it seems, especially for a foreigner ?  In a sane world, cash or card plus document id should be all that is needed, but in my experience the world isn’t sane, it’s as weird as the people running the show, and those people are the weirdest of them all!

Don’t you need some kind of official residence permit to prove you aren’t a terrorist, plotting to blow up the world with your mobile connection.  Excuse my French, I’m a bit paranoid about this, it’s a real question for me.  Put me out my misery, tell me it ain’t so?

Hope not, I never had the pleasure...
And with the pre-paid options, they risk nothing at all, so why wouldn't they accept your money?

If there's noone with existing experience, I'll call their customer services and ask.

My bet would be UPC for internet. (on condition you'll move downtown). Can check their website for the address where you'll rent >http://www.upc.hu Just make sure you take the no-loyalty option
For cell phone subscriptions it's all out for a pre paid cards. I believe you can't have a big difference between Telenor, Vodafone and T-Mobile.

@logger yes, @szocske have guessed it right. They do accept your money (at least Vodafone does, since a client of mine was hooked on them). They would only need your residence permit/address registration if you'd take a subscription.

Bon courage,

Dez

I'm preparing to move to District V and am interested in a super fast Fibre connection ? Is this available, and if so, which providers offer it ?

Yes, inner city has great connectivity and lively competition.
I checked on the government-run comparison site, http://webold.nhh.hu/tantuszlek/szelessav/Keres.jhtml
25Mb/s seems available for around 10.000 HUF/month from many providers.

I remember seeing ads for fiber to the home, but I never remembered because I live out in the sticks and all I get is lousy 8 Mbit adsl.

Some apartment complexes have exclusive deals with lousy internet providers, make sure you're not moving into one if connectivity is important to you!

Also prepare to pay about 20% more than advertised price if you can't sign a 1-2 year contract.

UPC is the largest cable provider, here's their offer:
http://www.upc.hu/kabel-internet/fiber-power-120/

Very helpful information for us too, thanks everyone!

szocske points out that gettting an Internet connection takes time. This being so, I would suggest to Stephanie that you try to get your landlord involved between now and February. Where I'm staying, there was an existing UPC cable connection and the landlord had organised technicians to install the additional UPC Internet connection at the flat the day I arrived.

I do have the oddity of paying all bills in my landlord's name, but you don't need ID to pay a bill.

T-mobile supplies my mobile SIM card. PAYG is simple enough to arrange, you only have to sign about six or seven documents!

T Mobile insist on a residence card even for pay-as-you-go 3G.

I walked into a Telenor shop and was set up within minutes on a pay as you go plan. No request for a residence card, just passport.

T Mobile insist on a residence card even for pay-as-you-go 3G.

Well, that's interesting. Should I report their shop for not asking for mine? I don't actually know what a residence card is. Should I have one? I simply showed them my tenancy agreement.

angol wrote:

szocske points out that gettting an Internet connection takes time. This being so, I would suggest to Stephanie that you try to get your landlord involved between now and February. Where I'm staying, there was an existing UPC cable connection and the landlord had organised technicians to install the additional UPC Internet connection at the flat the day I arrived.

I do have the oddity of paying all bills in my landlord's name, but you don't need ID to pay a bill.

T-mobile supplies my mobile SIM card. PAYG is simple enough to arrange, you only have to sign about six or seven documents!

Thanks for the suggestion. We will talk to the real estate agent we have arranged the apartment through.
Regarding mobile phones... well, we shall shop around when we arrive. At least with PAYG/prepaid mobiles, you're not locked into anything and if it's like it is here is Aus, you can get them anywhere for next to nothing. The only problem is, the rates are so high that it's not really value for money here, you tend to chew through the money a lot, especially with data/mobile internet.

angol wrote:

I don't actually know what a residence card is. Should I have one?

A Hungarian Registration Card is required for EU nationals taking up residence in Hungary.

http://european-immigration.com/hungary … tizens.htm

angol wrote:

T Mobile insist on a residence card even for pay-as-you-go 3G.

Well, that's interesting. Should I report their shop for not asking for mine? I don't actually know what a residence card is. Should I have one? I simply showed them my tenancy agreement.

You don't need it for a normal phone sim card, I was referring to mobile internet.

If you still need internet I have a friend who runs an ISP that might be able to help.

I think some of the posts here make the processs sound a bit complicated

When I signed my lease I got an authorisation form signed by the landlord, went down to the DIGI office and the next day the guy was at my flat installing the cable, all done. Its monthly, no contract, I just return the modem when I'm done. Its only a few thousand per month, dead cheap for max speed unlimited. (They'll tell you connection takes a few weeks - it doesn't - but you can pay 5k to be put at the front of the cue as I did its not a not of money)

Same with pre paid Sim, went to T-Mobile and walked out with my phone connecteed.

Residence card not required for either.

MissVirginia wrote:

They'll tell you connection takes a few weeks - it doesn't - but you can pay 5k to be put at the front of the cue as I did its not a not of money)

Actually, it can take a few weeks, but often it is shorter. If your experience was less, excellent. But just remember that is not always the case.

Also, 5,000 Forint can be an expense for Hungarians and for those Expats living on a typical Hungarian monthly income.