Connected in Spain?
The Internet is becoming a part of everyday life and more and more expats are dependent upon the Internet for their work when they move overseas and also to keep in contact with their families. However, there is a thread in the Spanish expat forum regarding various Internet service providers (ISPs) in Spain, what you can expect and first-hand experiences from people who have used their services. If you are moving to Spain and looking to install the Internet in your home then this is a must read for you!
The Internet market in Spain
If you’re moving to Spain from the likes of the UK, where the Internet sector is very competitive and very developed, you will likely be in for a serious shock because there are still limited options available and Telefonica is the main player in the market and the one which seems to pull all the strings.
At first glance it seems as though the ISPs are targeting the more populated areas of Spain leaving many potential customers in rural areas with substandard services, difficulty connectivity and relatively expensive ISP contracts
Background to the thread
The thread has been started by somebody that lives in Spain who is looking to install the Internet at their home having come across the main players in Spain which include Telefonica, ONO, Jazztel, Ya and Tele2. The question relates to the experiences of forum members with regards to these Spanish ISPs with specific subject matter including customer service experience, server/hub reliability, continuity of service, account stability and other general issues which may occur.
The member who posted the thread would appear to live in an area of Spain which is only serviced by the Telefonica infrastructure which is not necessary a problem on the surface, if looking to go with one of the other Spanish ISPs, but apparently has caused concern for many forum members.
General customer service in Spain
One of the things you will realise at a very early stage when reading this particular thread is the fact that the vast majority of Internet service providers seem to provide differing standards of service with regards to connectivity and Internet speeds and in general (with few exceptions) they tend to have a “very disappointing” customer service division. The problem here is that even if you have the best Internet service in the world there will at some point be issues such as speed and connectivity which need to addressed and if you are unable to contact a suitable customer services representative and arrange assistance it can prove very expensive and very stressful, especially if you work from home.
A number of posters have suggested that the Spanish government needs to overhaul the Internet sector in Spain because while there appear to be plenty of technicians building the network’s and maintaining services, depending on which comments read, those in the customer services division are either too techy minded or unhelpful because of a lack of training.
Telefonica
As we touched on above, Telefonica literally dominates the Spanish Internet market (in a similar way to British Telecom did in the early days of the UK market) because ultimately the vast majority of Internet customers, whether with Telefonica or with another ISP, will be using the Telefonica infrastructure. There are accusations of delaying tactics, expensive ISP contracts, Internet speed caps and other issues which do affect everyday usage for customers involved.
There appears to be a growing rift between customers, both existing and potential, and Telefonica with many people now trying to steer clear of Telefonica where possible only to find that in many areas of Spain they are the only real option. It would appear, from the comments on the thread, that Telefonica is making full use of this effective monopoly of the Spanish market by charging rates which would appear to be at the top end of the competitive scale.
Alternatives to Telefonica
The feedback on alternative ISPs is very mixed with some receiving good feedback on Internet speeds and Internet connectivity while others are receiving mixed reports on customer service and connection issues. However, it does seem that everything seems to revolve around Telefonica and the speed at which the company is willing and able to transfer Internet customers to competitors. Again, as we suggested above, this is an issue which was very prevalent in the UK market sometime ago before the relative monopoly held by British Telecom was broken.
It would seem that now is the time for the Spanish authorities to step in and try to crack the Internet monopoly held by Telefonica, whether it is official or unofficial, with many people avoiding the company even if they have had little or no experience of Telefonica itself.
Technology in Spain
There is a definite impression that technology in Spain, and particularly the Internet, is more reliable and more competitive in the cities where population densities are higher. The further out would you go from the larger cities the more dependence upon Telefonica and the more uncompetitive ISP contracts seem to be. Until we see significant investment by the Spanish Internet service providers the grip which Telefonica seems to hold, especially in the more rural areas, would appear to be in little danger.
EU Internet market
There is a comment on the thread which suggests that the Spanish Internet market is perhaps one of the worst in the European Union although without official evidence to back up this claim it is difficult to confirm or deny this particular accusation.
Conclusion
The Internet is becoming more and more part of everyday life across the world and with countries such as Spain attracting significant numbers of expats from places such as the UK there is a need to ensure that the Internet service providers in the country are able to offer a reliable and competitive service. It appears from the thread as though many people have had difficult experiences with Telefonica in particular and the whole process of connecting to an ISP, or transferring to another ISP, is fraught with problems and time delays.
It is dangerous to assume that because you are moving to a country within Europe you can expect Internet sector comparability with your former homeland, as more and more people are finding when they move to Spain!
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