There are now only two network operators left in Albania:
- Vodafone Albania (part of the British Vodafone Group)
- One (formerly Telekom Albania, formerly AMC, now owned by 4iG) – merged with ALBtelecom
A third provider, ALBtelecom (formerly Eagle Mobile, formerly owned by TürkTelecom), was acquired by 4iG in 2022 and merged with One in 2023. Plus services (owned by Plus Communications) were discontinued in 2018 and the operator closed down.
Albania ended 2021 with 3.40 million SIM cards in use, compared to 3.19 million in the previous quarter and 3.43 million in 2020. According to data published by the Electronic and Postal Communications Authority, Vodafone Albania leads with 1.49 million SIM cards (-13.4% year-on-year), followed by One with 1.36 million (+15.1%) and Albtelecom with 550,191 (+4.3%). In 2023, following the merger of One and ALBTelecom, the new One network seems to be slightly ahead of the others.
2G/GSM operates on 900 and 1800 MHz, 3G/UMTS on 2100 MHz on all networks. 4G/LTE was launched in 2015 on all networks except Plus. Licenses for 1800 and 2600 MHz (band 3, 7) were issued to all three providers. In 2019, 800 MHz (band 20) was granted to Vodafone and One. 5G has not yet been launched and is in test mode.
In a benchmark test conducted by Umlaut in 2021, One won with 895 points, followed by Vodafone with 876 and ALBtelecom with 777 points. Although Vodafone had slightly more coverage, One’s download speeds were higher on average. OpenSignal later confirmed these tests and made Vodafone and One joint winners.
You can purchase prepaid SIM cards at operator stores by presenting your passport or photo ID for registration. You will need to provide your local address in Albania. eSIM cards are not currently offered for prepaid cards.
Keep in mind that mobile operators can be very busy in the summer, leading to low mobile internet speeds, so try to use Wi-Fi networks as much as possible.
Roaming in Albania
Please note that Albania is not part of the EU or the wider EEA, where new international roaming rules have been in place since 2017. Therefore, roaming rates using EU/EEA issued SIM cards are not regulated and can therefore be much higher. It is better to use a local or regional SIM card.
Instead, since July 2021, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia have become a single roaming zone similar to EU rules. From now on, you can roam free in the Western Balkans using a SIM card from these countries, but not in the EU.
Vodafone (Albania)
Vodafone is still the market leader in Albania with good 2G and 3G coverage in the country. 4G/LTE was launched in 2015 and is available in most places. 5G has not yet been launched.
Vodafone offers one prepaid plan that can be supplemented with various daily, weekly or monthly packages.
Availability
Their SIM cards are sold in all Vodafone stores ( store search ) in mini or micro SIM format, other sizes can be trimmed.
Top up can be done by sending the 12-digit scratch card code via SMS to 141, by calling 142 from a Vodafone mobile number or via Vodafone e-top up. Check your credit by sending a free SMS with the text “Balance” to 141. The credit validity period depends on the top-up amount.
If you top up your online account with an amount of 1000 lek or more, you will receive 3 GB of free internet for 28 days.
The new SIM card is sold at a price of 500-800 lek (depending on the promotion) and includes 300 lek for the first call, as well as 500 free SMS (valid for Vodafone Club numbers for one month).
Data transfer function packages
The standard data transfer fee is 0.976 lek per 10 KB.
The following monthly plans are offered for voice, SMS and data, valid for 30 days:
| Plan | InnerVoice | Fixed lineVoice | InternalSMS | Data | RoamingCap | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base | 50 min | 50 MB | 50 MB | 600 lek | ||
| Beginning | 400 min. | 1000 min | 400 | 1 GB | 1 GB | 1000 lek |
| Standard | 2500 min | 2500 min | Year 2000 | 8 GB | 2.9 GB | 1300 Leke |
| Reasonable | 3500 min. | 3500 min. | 400 | 22 GB | 3.57 GB | 1600 Leke |
| Premium* | 3500 min. | 3500 min. | 500 | 34 GB | 4.56 GB | 2100 Leke |
(*) = plus 100 international minutes and 500 international SMS
To check your remaining balance, dial #123#. You can add up to 3 packages per month.
For shorter periods, they offer the following plans:
| Plan | Voice | Data | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Ditore | 300 min. | 300 MB | 3 days | 300 lek |
| 10 Ditore | 300 min. | 1.5 GB | 10 days | 700 Leke |
| Gigamax | 500 min. | 15 GB | 21 days | 1500 lek |
For additional data, they offer for 30 days:
- 5 GB: 700 lek
- 6 GB: 800 lek
Activate by dialing #123#.
Tourist SIM card in Albania Vodafone
For tourists, Vodafone is offering a “Tourist Package” for 2000 lek in 2023, which includes 35 GB of data, unlimited domestic voice calls and SMS, 10 minutes of international calls, and all this is valid for 21 days. You can add another package for the same price. To check your balance, send an empty SMS to 131 or go online. You can purchase another package to extend the validity or add local options.
Roaming in Albania Vodafone
According to the new roaming rules, all domestic volumes are valid in the Western Balkan countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia up to the specified roaming limit.
Vodafone offers two data roaming packages for Europe and beyond on Vodafone networks in Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Turkey, UK, BH Telecom Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mtel or Vivacom Bulgaria, A1 or Tele2 Croatia, SFR or Bouygues France, Vala Kosovo, A1 Macedonia, Telenor Montenegro, A1 Serbia, Si.mobil Slovenia, A1 Austria, Swisscom Switzerland, Proximus Belgium, Monaco Monaco, Rogers Canada and AT&T USA:
- 200 MB, 10 min, 10 SMS for 1 day (excluding USA and Canada): 400 lek
- 1.5 GB for 5 days: 1300 lek
- 500 MB, 30 minutes and 30 SMS for 4 days: 800 lek
- 7 GB, 60 minutes and 60 SMS for 10 days: 1300 lek
For EU/EEA, some additional packages are offered at no extra cost. To activate the package, dial #123# -> 5 -> Roaming -> 1 (roaming packages).
More information
- APN: vodafoneweb
- Website (switch to English): https://www.vodafone.al
One (formerly Telekom Albania, formerly AMC)
One was renamed Telekom Albania after the sale to Deutsche Telekom in 2020 and is Vodafone’s strongest competitor in Albania. In 2019, Telekom Albania was sold to an Albanian-Bulgarian group by the owners of Vivacom Bulgaria. In 2022, it was resold to the Hungarian group 4IG. The new One-branded network is merged with AlbTelekom, which was previously acquired by 4IG.
Its 3G network already covers 91% of the country. They launched 4G/LTE in 2015 on 1800 (B3) and 2600 MHz (B7) in Tirana, Durres, Elbasan, Shkodër, Fier, Vlorë, Korçë, Kamezi, Vore, Lezhë, Peškopi, Kukes and reached most populated areas. Now it has closed the gap and is fighting Vodafone for market leadership. 5G launch is planned for 2025.
Availability
The One SIM card is available in all One Stores, at least all sizes: Find One Stores.
Top-up can be done at all One Shops using a top-up card, a credit card online in your One profile or app, or via another mobile phone (mobile number) by calling +355681000141.
Data transfer function packages
The standard data transfer fee for all plans is 9.994 lek per megabyte. One Albania offers various prepaid plans. The following monthly combo packages are offered:
| Plastic bag | Data | Roaming limit | Time | voice | Texts | Price | Additionally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ditore | 400 MB | without roaming | 1 day | 50 min | 100 SMS messages | 200 lek | |
| Yavore | 1 GB | without roaming | 7 days | 300 min. | 300 SMS messages | 500 lek | |
| All inclusive | 15 GB | without roaming | 21 days | 500 min. | 50 SMS messages | 1500 lek | 10 minutes of international calls, 5 GB for social networks and chat |
| Unlimited S | 500 MB | 500 MB | 30 days | 150 min | 150 SMS messages | 600 lek | |
| Unlimited M | 1 GB | 1 GB | 400 min. | 400 SMS | 1000 lek | ||
| Unlimited L | 8 GB | 2.06 GB | Unlimited | 1000 SMS | 1300 Leke | 10 GB for music | |
| Unlimited rhythms | 23 GB | 2.57 GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | 1600 Leke | 10 GB for music | |
| Unlimited XL | 33 GB | 3.43 GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2100 Leke | 10 GB for music |
All packages can also be purchased via #100#.
For data only, they offer the following plans without free roaming in the Western Balkans:
| Plan | Data | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ditore | 1 GB | 1 day | 200 lek |
| Yavore | 2 GB | 7 days | 400 lek |
| Muggiore | 2 GB | 30 days | 600 lek |
| 8 GB | 1200 lek |
For additional data on top of their monthly plans, they offer:
- 3 GB: 500 lek
- 5 GB: 600 lek
Tourist SIM card in Albania One
Like Vodafone One, it offers a similar travel plan. For 1,500 lek, you get 15GB of data with One, 5GB extra for WhatsApp, Viber and social media, 500 minutes for domestic calls, 10 minutes for international calls and 100 SMS for domestic/international calls, all valid for 21 days. You can add another travel package for the same price to increase it. You can pay for it online to get a discount and shorten the collection process at any Vodafone store, including Tirana Airport.
Roaming in Albania One
According to the new roaming rules, all domestic volumes are valid in the Western Balkan countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. Please note that there are restrictions here, called roaming limits in the table, and roaming is prohibited for certain tariff plans.
One offers these data roaming packages for Europe and beyond, valid in Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, North Macedonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, USA, Ukraine and UK:
- 150 MB for 24 years: 250 lek
- 700 MB for 7 days: 800 lek
- 1.5 GB for 14 days: 1500 lek
More information
- APN: internet.one
- Website in Albanian and English: one.al
ALBtelecom (formerly Eagle Mobile)] – merged into One
State-owned telecommunications operator ALBtelecom is merging a third mobile operator, formerly known as Eagle Mobile. In 2022, it was acquired by Hungary’s 4IG, which merged ALBtelecom’s network with the One network (see above).
In the spring of 2023, service provider ONE Albania completed the migration of ALBtelecom customers to the ONE network following the legal merger of ALBtelecom and ONE Telecommunications in January of this year. The operator claims that the migration provides customers with better quality services, including faster download speeds, clearer voice calls and improved coverage.
There is a discount on all ALBtelecom brand products.