Albania is a small country in Southeastern Europe. Its currency is Albanian Lek (ALL), and for reference, at the time of writing, 100 ALL equals $0.94. There are three mobile operators in the country, i.e., Vodafone Albania, One Telecommunications, and ALBtelecom. Fortunately, getting SIM cards is not a costly affair in Albania. They are available for anywhere between 100 ALL and 500 ALL. Two GB of data valid for 30 days is available for as low as 300 ALL.
The average data price in Albania for 1 GB is 2.30 USD, quite lower than the world average of 4.07 USD. It is almost on par with the European average of 2.50 USD. The average mobile data download speed in Albania is 50 Mbps, which is not bad at all. To get a SIM card in the country, you need to comply with the registration process, i.e., provide personal information. The SIM is available in the official stores of telecommunication companies and other retailers.
In Albania, 2G, 3G, 4G/LTE, and 5G NR (under testing) frequencies are available. It is important to note that Albania is neither a part of the EU (European Union) nor the EEA (European Economic Area), so EU roaming rules don’t apply. Hence, don’t expect to roam here for free with your EU/EEA SIM card.
In fact, since July 2021, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, and Montenegro have turned into a single roaming area similar to EU rules. Thus, from July 2021 onwards, you can roam without surcharges in Western Balkan countries using local SIM cards. To know how wide mobile network coverage is, which SIM card is the best, and the types of plans and packages they sell, let’s dig deep into three mobile operators in the country.
1. Vodafone Albania
Vodafone is the largest wireless carrier in Albania. It captures almost 50% of the market share, serving 1.5 million subscribers in the country. And why shouldn’t it occupy such a big portion? It provides the best coverage and the fastest speed to its subscribers in Albania, after all. Vodafone’s coverage is better, and the network is faster than One Telecommunications which is its close competitor. You can get its SIM card (called Vodafone Club) for 500 ALL with 300 ALL credit and 500 on-network SMS. The company also offers a tourist SIM card called Vodafone 3 Weekly Tourist Pack.
This pack provides you with 15 GB of data and 5 GB of video data for Netflix, YouTube, and Twitch. You also get 10 international minutes, 500 local minutes, 100 local and international SMSes, and 21 days of SIM card validity, all for 1500 ALL. Vodafone top-ups are available both offline and online for 100 ALL to 10,000 ALL. The carrier has various plans, i.e., Bundles and Add-ons. The Bundles are a combo of both international and local minutes, SMS, and data ranging from 60 ALL to 2500.
On the other hand, Add-ons are add-ons (data-only) for Bundles. They cost 100 ALL (300 MB for 7 days), 500 ALL (3 GB for 30 days), and 600 ALL (4 GB for 30 days). Note that the Add-ons can’t be purchased as standalone plans. Vodafone also offers two roaming plans for the EU and beyond. By purchasing these, you get 300 MB for 300 ALL, valid for 24 hours, and 1.5 GB of data for 1300 ALL with a validity of 10 days.
2. One Telecommunications
One Telecommunications, popularly known as One, was earlier known as Telekom Albania. Presently, it is the second-largest operator in the country. It occupies 30% of the market share with 1.2 million subscribers across the nation. It has great coverage across the country and is cheaper than Vodafone. You can get One Telecommunications SIM cards in Albania for less than 500 ALL. One also provides tourist SIM cards worth 1500 ALL which come with 15 GB of data and 5 GB of social media data. They also grant 500 local minutes, 10 international minutes, and 100 local/international minutes, all with a validity of 21 days.
The carrier also offers three roaming plans to EU nations and select countries within Europe. These roaming plans provide 150 MB for 250 ALL valid for 24 hours, 700 MB for 800 ALL valid for 7 days, and 14 days of validity for 1.5 GB of data costing 1500 ALL. The company extends an offer of three types of data-featured plans as well. They are named One Unlimited Packages (combo), Additional Packages (add-ons for One Unlimited Packages), and Other Packages (combo).
One Unlimited Packages is a combo of high-speed data, minutes, and SMS, with prices varying from 500 ALL to 2000 ALL. Additional Packages are add-ons for the first plan, worth 200 ALL to 1200 ALL. Other Packages represent a combo of minutes, SMS, and data ranging from 150 ALL to 1000 ALL.
3. ALBtelecom
ALBtelecom, also called Albanian Telecom, is the smallest service provider in Albania with 0.5 million subscribers. Its network works well in cities and large towns. Moreover, it’s the cheapest to use of the three operators in the country. However, its coverage is neither vast nor offers better speed than its counterparts. You can get an ALBtelecom SIM card for 100 ALL or 500 ALL. The company offers several combos and data-only packs, too. They are as follows, GigaNatën Packages (nighttime data-only), Super Weekend Packages (weekend data-only), Internet Packages (data-only), and 4G Internet Packages (data-only).
You can also sign up for Extra Packages (add-ons for Super Packages), Super Unlimited (combo), Daily & Weekly Packages (combo), and Super Standard Packages (combo). Daily and Weekly Packages are plans with a validity of 24 hours and 7 days, worth 150 ALL and 500 ALL. Super Standard Packages are combo plans of data, minutes, and SMS ranging between 500 ALL and 1900 ALL. Super Unlimited is a pack with high-speed internet, minutes, and SMS ranging from 400 ALL to 1900 ALL.
GigaNäten Packages are data-only plans only usable at nighttime, i.e., between 23:01 and 06:59 for 7 or 30 consecutive nights, priced at 100 ALL and 300 ALL. Super Weekend Packages are also packs with only data, albeit high-speed, and available for one or four consecutive weekends. More specifically, you can use them between Saturday 00:00 and Sunday 23:59 and must pay between 200 ALL and 600 ALL. You can find more details about these packs on ALBtelecom’s website.