If you don’t want to spend a fortune on conversations with your loved ones, read Oleg Obukhov’s article about mobile communication in Montenegro.
In this review, I will review two mobile operators: T-Mobile and M:tel (Telenor distribute their services by themselves).
Montenegrin operator “T-Mobile”
Buy a SIM card for 3€ with a budget of 3€.
Ideally, it should be registered on your name, but filling in the registration sheet at the shop does not guarantee that it will reach the operator’s office.
But during the summer season, operators block unregistered numbers after 15 days from the start of use, so if you are resting for 15 days or less, do not pay attention. If you are staying longer, please contact the T-COM office in your city and fill out the registration form.
The card is in a standard Micro SIM format. If you need Nano — cut it yourself or go to a phone repair center.
The T-Mobile SIM card is protected by a PIN code (you are familiar with this technology). Once you have installed the card in your phone, you must first disconnect the internet traffic. It’s important to do this before you complete the setup, as your smartphone loads a lot of data without your knowledge and can instantly spend the card balance.
You can top up your balance after activating the card in the terminals and newspaper stalls. It is called “elektronska dopuna”. The minimum amount is 2 euros.
So, you put the card in, entered the pin code and registered the card online. To activate it, make one call (you can do it without connection) or send an SMS. That’ s it, now your card is active and ready to be set up.
Check the balance by dialing *111#. This USSD command is called “Super-menu” and with its help you can check your tariff, change it and activate packages.
(Did you remember to disconnect the traffic? Without any options enabled it is the Internet traffic that spends your money.)
Then select any of the options offered. You can choose two out of three options. Connecting one option for the first time is free of charge.
In my opinion, the best option is the Internet option (3), which gives you 1.5 GB of traffic for 7 days for 2.90€. Voice calls take less money and you can use messengers.
To activate it, you need to use ussd-menu by dialing *111# or send an SMS with the text SURF to the number 1467. To connect other options to the same number, you need to send an SMS “MI” or “SVI”.
After configuring the package, enable data transfer on the phone. Don’t forget to keep track of the remaining traffic and expiration of the package.
APN settings for Internet access can be seen on the photo. The password is 38267.
For those who can’ t imagine a vacation without the Internet connection, there are several sets available: USB modem and a SIM card with a certain amount of GB of Internet. Not a bad alternative to ADSL.
Advantages of T-Mobile: stable network, the best Internet quality in the country and good coverage in the northern regions of Montenegro.
Montenegrin mobile operator M:tel
The rules for registering and recharging your account are the same as for T-Mobile, so read the first section of this article.
M:tel cards often have no PIN code, but it is not clear whether they are all like this. As with T-Mobile, after you register online (call or message any number), turn off your internet access before you complete the setup, in order to save the money.
M:tel operator has introduced new conditions for the prepaid tariff “M:go tourist” since June 2016. Now the SIM card costs 5€ and in this package you get 500MB of Internet already included and 2€ on your balance for calls and SMS.
The Internet package is valid for 3 days, but for each next top-up (minimum 2€), the user will receive another 300MB for 3 days. These 300MB will be activated at midnight after the recharge. And you can freely spend the your balance on SMS and voice calls. If you have the Internet connection enabled on your smartphone, it is necessary to activate the unlimited package, otherwise at midnight your money will turn into a pumpkin.
To activate the service described above, you need to send an SMS “turist” to the number 14555 or activate it in the ussd-menu by dialing *105#. Only after the activation (!!!) you can enable the internet traffic on your phone.
Also, this tariff provides 50% discounts on voice calls to the countries from which the majority of tourists come.
Features of M:tel: there are always cheap roaming offers for Serbia, if you plan to go there, a good coverage area on the seaside. Among the disadvantages: the northern part of Montenegro is poorly covered, and during the tourist season there is bad Internet connection on the seaside.
