Mobile Phones and Internet in Montenegro

Montenegro Mobile Network

Over 93% of Montenegrins use mobiles. Mobile networks are operated by three providers: One (area code: 069), T-Mobile (area code: 067), and M:Tel (area code: 068). The former two are branches of international European operators. Their offices are in the immediate vicinity of any town, including those on the coastline. All three are almost equal in signal quality. Since 2009, Montenegro uses the 3G standard that allows for video calling and high-speed mobile web access. Since 2011, 3,5G (UMTS, HSDPA) is being implemented to increase the mobile connection speed from 7.1 Mbit/s to 21,7 Mbit/s.

According to the operators, the coverage by the three major players in Montenegro amounts to 91% or more. The regions which are not covered are those without significant population or roads like mountain ranges or river canyons. It is safe to say that mobile access in Montenegro is almost ubiquitous. Despite this, in some spots on the mountain roads the connection is less stable due to terrain. However 1-2 kilometers away you will be fine again.

Buying a SIM from any operator is as easy. They can be purchased in gift shops, newsagents, grocery stores or from the operator’s office. The latter is the less convenient, because there will be queues. As a rule, the account balance equals the price of the SIM.

To top-up the account balance with any operator, you can use scratch cards (vouchers), instant payment at store cash counters (‘elektronska dopuna’) or usual ATM-like kiosks that even support.

The prices are almost identical for all Montenegrin mobile operators. Here is a sample mobile tariff:

• in-country calls: €0.12/min (calls to landline are more expensive),
• SMS: €0.06,
• 1 MB of traffic: €0.04,

all incoming calls are free.

Of course, mobile operators offer different rates, but the differences between them are not sufficiently relevant for tourists.

Mobile Internet plans

Each mobile operator has their own set of plans, which may change from year to year. You can find up-to-date information about these plans at the operator’s website or by visiting their office.

For the summer of 2024, some operators are offering travel packages:

• One offers a 500GB plan for 15 euros for 15 days and a 1TB plan for 20 euros for 30 days.
• T-Mobile has a similar plan: 500GB for 15 euros and 1TB for 20 euros, both valid for 15 and 30 days respectively.
• M:Tel also offers prepaid plans: turist 15 for 15€ for 15GB and turist 20 for 20€ for 30GB.

However, there is a small caveat with these plans. If you fail to activate them, your money will be “lost”. The plan must be activated before the end of the validity period. Otherwise, you will be charged at standard rates for data usage. To avoid this, it is best to ask a manager at the office to help you activate the plan.

You can also purchase a mobile internet “modem” as a gift package. An A+GB modem will cost around 20-30 euros.

Making calls…

within Montenegro:

+382  – or 00382 – Montenegro mobile code.

69 – Mobile operator or area code. When calling within Montenegro, the code contains three digits and starts with a zero. If the call comes from abroad, the code has 2 digits, zero is omitted.

737 719 – Caller’s number. Montenegro uses 6-digit numbers so far. Sometimes you can find 7-digit numbers.

From Montenegro:

The main rule – any number starts with a country code. If you have saved a Russian number using a leading eight (in-country code), the outgoing calls will not be routed and text messages will not go through.

Use +7 (or 007) instead, everything else is the same.

Mobile Internet in Montenegro – Settings

According to the same official statistics, 46.5% of Montenegrins use the Internet on a regular basis. 60% of them use ADSL, i.e. a high-speed landline connection. You can only connect if you already use a landline phone. There are no dedicated channels in Montenegro so far.

If you arrived to Montenegro as a guest, you have three ways to go online.

1. Free Wi-Fi in numerous cafes, restaurants, hotels and even villas. From year to year, the number of access points increases. The speed is usually rather high, comparable to a good ADSL line. Often it is unlimited. You can always ask the waiter or the receptionist for the code. Sit right next to the Wi-Fi spot.
2. USB modem with a SIM from a local operator (see image). It allows you to go online wherever you are with your notebook or tablet, if a mobile network is available (i. e. almost everywhere). High-speed connection will only be available at spots with 100% mobile coverage. The weaker the signal is, the lower the speed. Maximum speed in Montenegro is about 21 Mbit/s, as noted above.You can buy such USB modems only from the mobile operators, with your foreign passport. It costs from 19 to 50 euros depending on the operator and the model. The traffic is not unlimited. Each operator offers a different rate, but in average the price is about €20/2GB (both incoming and outgoing traffic).
3. Mobile internet. To connect your smartphone or tablet to the Internet, you need to install any local SIM and create a new connection. You can ask to create a new connection at the operator’s office (remember, there are long queues). You can call the operator’s helpdesk and try to communicate in English. Finally, you can deal with the settings yourself. Below are the details for each operator, which must be enough to set up the connection manually. Proxy fields are required only if necessary for the connection to operate. Do not forget to enable 3G in your phone settings (if there is the option).

Montenegro mobile network

Mobile phone companies of Montenegro

One

APN: internet
Username: gprs
Password:gprs
Proxy IP: 192.168.246.005
Proxy port: 8080 or 9201

T-Mobile

Name: GPRS
APN: tmcg-wnw
Username: 38267
Password:38267
Proxy IP: 10.0.5.19
Proxy port: 8080

M:tel

Name: mtelinternet
APN: mtelinternet
Username: internet
Password:068

Proxy IP: by default
Proxy port: by default