Mobile connection and internet in Montenegro

During the information age, it is almost impossible to live and work without mobile and Internet communication: without it, you do not call your relatives and friends, do not send a resume to work, you cannot order pizza and even do not get to call for help. In an unfamiliar country during a holiday or on a business trip, the issue of communication is very acute, because roaming takes a lot of money. But you always want to be able to call someone or go online for relatively little money.

When traveling to Montenegro, tourists are encouraged to purchase a local SIM card in order to be able not only to speak cheaply inside the country, but also pay less when calling their relatives.

In Montenegro, at the moment, there are 3 main mobile operators and Internet service providers, who can easily choose the appropriate tariff for themselves. The cost and the set of services (mobile communication + Internet) are basically the same for all communication providers and vary on average from 10 to 30 euros for 30 days of use and depends on what service and set of functions you personally need.

• Telenor (069)
• T-Mobile (067)
• M: Tel (068)

The numbers indicated in parentheses next to the operator are the operator code. The quality of communication and coverage area for all three providers of mobile communication services is equally good. It is known that the phone "catches" a signal from each of them in most of the country - 91% of Montenegro is covered by cellular communication. Exceptions are associated with some peculiarities of the area - majestic mountain ranges, deep canyons or certain areas in the central part of the country, which are surrounded on all sides by mountain peaks. There, mobile communication can sometimes disappear and in this case, operators recommend simply to travel 1-2 km from this place and the probability that it will be possible to call again is great.

As for the mobile Internet - it is also at a high level and, as a rule, is provided right away when you purchase a local SIM card. Since 2009, 3G technology has been introduced in Montenegro, since 2011, 3.5G has been introduced, and since 2012, 4G Internet has already appeared. Tariffs for mobile Internet for tourists from all providers are also almost identical, differ only in the number of mega- or gigabytes provided and amount to 5 to 30 euros per month.

How and where can I buy a local SIM card?

You can buy a SIM card in Montenegro only according to the documents in special places provided by law. The simplest and most convenient way is to buy a sim card immediately after arriving at specialized stalls at Tivat or Podgorica airport. In addition, they can also be purchased at stores, post offices, railway or bus stations, at stalls in shopping centers or in the offices of the operator's company. In the latest, it is not recommended to buy, because there are constant queues for buying or viewing mobile gadgets. When buying a sim card on it is already the amount that was paid for it.

Top up the SIM card account in Montenegro is very simple and it is possible to do in several ways:

1. Using a bank card on the website of the service provider. Below there are links for topping up the account of each of the operators:

• Telenor: https://www.telenor.me/en/Consumer/Telenor-shops/Online-prepaid-topup/
• T-Mobile: https://www.telekom.me/webshop-prepaid-dopuna.nspx
• M: Tel: http://mtel.me/oec/elektronska-dopuna

2. Purchase a "voucher" card with the refill code. On this card, the same recharge code is hidden under the protective layer and for topping up the balance of the mobile phone it must be erased with a simple coin or other metal object.

3. Topping up of your phone at any grocery store or kiosk. This service is called "elektronska dopuna".

4. The most common automatic payment terminals that stand in shopping malls, hypermarkets and various stores. Many of them have Russian.

Tariffs for cellular communication in Montenegro can be chosen absolutely different. Prices for all are approximately the same for basic services. Below is an approximate list of prices when purchasing the most basic tariff.

• Call abroad - from 1 euro / minute,
• Call within the country - 0.13 euro / minute (varies depending on where the call is to mobile or to city),
• Sms - from 0.06 euros,
• Each megabyte of the Internet - 0.04 euros.
• At the same time, incoming calls are free.

Not to waste money on mobile Internet and telephone conversations, do not forget about Wi-Fi, which is available in almost all public places and institutions: in cafes and restaurants, shops, beauty salons, apartments and hotels and others. You can find out the password aking the waiter or any other employee of the restaurant or hotel. The speed is much faster than the mobile Internet has, so you can use any type of site. In addition, you can use services such as Skype, Viber, WhatsApp, FaceTime, etc. and call anywhere in the world to friends, relatives or mates. You can also chat in social networks (Instagramm, Facebook, Vkontakte, etc.) and share the latest events with friends. Even fans of downloading a couple of movies for the flight can take advantage of this free service.

Another opportunity to enter the World Wide Web in Montenegro is the modem. You can buy it at the office of the operator if you have documents confirming your identity. There is a similar service on average 35 euros for the purchase of a modem and all components, and for the use of traffic - 10 euros for each gigabyte used.

If you still want to connect the Internet to your smartphone, but you do not know how to do it, you can easily ask for help in setting the necessary parameters for the operator in the office of the company. Here you can use technical support, as well as learn how to get SMS with all the settings for your device. Despite the fact that many locals know little Russian, it will still have to be explained in an accessible language, and most likely in English.
You can try to configure the phone yourself and enter the necessary settings manually. Below there are the options that can possibly help you customize or you can go to the World Wide Web - there's certainly an answer to any question. Only those fields are indicated that need to be filled in and if there is a field in the smartphone, but it is not listed below, it means that you do not need to fill it.

Name: Telenor - Telenor MNE Internet, T-Mobile - GPRS, M: Tel - mtelinternet.
APN: Telenor - internet, T-Mobile - tmcg-wnw, M: Tel-mtelinternet.
Username: Telenor - gprs, T-Mobile - 38267, M: Tel - internet.
Password: Telenor - gprs, T-Mobile - 38267, M: Tel - 068.
IP: Telenor - 192.168.246.005, T-Mobile - 10.0.5.19.
Proxy port (if it does not work without it): Telenor - 8080 (possibly 9201), T-Mobile - 8080.

How to dial correctly?

If the call is in Montenegro.

Calls within Montenegro are carried out with a three-digit code, without the country code), for example 069 and further the telephone number. For example 069-123 456

If the call to Montenegro.

First you need to enter the country code - +382 or 00382. Next, enter the operator code (69, 68, etc.) or the corresponding city, and then the mobile or home phone number if the call goes to a landline phone. Accordingly, the phone number looks like this: + 382-69-123 456. If you need to call from abroad, you do not need to write in the number "0" and then there is a six-digit number, sometimes a seven-digit number of the subscriber to which the call is made.

As a rule, in Montenegro, one phone code is used immediately for several cities.

• 40 - Pluzine, Shavnik, Niksic,
• 52 - Zabljak, Plevlja,
• 20 - Kolasin, Danilovgrad, Podgorica,
• 51 - Beranje, Plav, Andrijevica, Rozaje,
• 50 - Bijelo Polje, Mojkovac,
• 30 - Ulcinj, Bar,
• 32 - Tivat, Kotor.

There are only three cities with a unique code:

• 33 - Budva,
• 41 - Cetinje,
• 31 - Herceg Novi.

If the call is from Montenegro.

All calls start with international code. For example, when calling a Russian number, you need to enter +7 or 007. After that, the country, city or operator code and the subscriber's number follow.

Have a nice rest and be always in touch.
 

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