Croatia is a small country located in the North-western part of the Balkan Peninsula and an attraction to visitors who marvel at its landscape, nature, history and many more. As modernity dictates, mobile telephony is something that anybody visiting Croatia can't just take for granted. Ordinarily, visitors will need to make calls, send SMSs or even have data on your Sim Card. Therefore, it will be irresistible to make a mobile phone subscription in Croatia. One will always have a desire to make calls and send text messages soon as they settle in the country.

If you are either starting life or a resident in Croatia, it is normal that you want to communicate with friends and family back at home. It is true that mobile phone voice and text message services are not a luxury but rather an unavoidable necessity in Croatia. Though Croatia still falls in the middle range of EU countries based on the income levels, at least 94% 0f the population have access to mobile phones.

Making Mobile Phone Subscriptions in Croatia

At least 65% of the Croatian population are English speakers and 80% of the population are bilingual speakers. Generally, it means that at least one out of every two people you meet in Croatia is likely to speak English. Socialisation and communication in Croatia get easier day by day.

Every person would need to access a mobile phone subscription to connect and make as many friends as possible. For this reason, the number of mobile cellular subscriptions for Croatia stands at 106.6 per 100 residents. This basically suggests an increase in mobile cellular subscriptions from 40% per 100 inhabitants from 2001 to 106.6 per 100 persons.

The degree of cellular technology offers access to public switched telephone networks in Croatia. While enjoying the magnitude of cellular technology you are basically destined to access the public switched telephone network. The mobile phone subscriptions are available for either a post-paid or a prepaid customer.

Using a Cell Phone in Croatia

If you are still confused about the way forward while in Croatia, all you need to know is that mobile phones are very popular. Cruising through some of the big cities of Croatia gives one a chance to notice that most locals here often have their mobile glued to their ear. A culture commonly called in Croatian as the beloved “mobitel” will definitely welcome cell phone users in Croatia.

Mobile Phone Networks in Croatia

While in Croatia, three mobile phone networks serve the best interest of the visitors as well as the residents through text messages and phone calls. The competitive T-Com, Tele2, and A1 will clearly serve the best interest of any customer based on your needs and preferences. Through the stability of phone networks in Croatia, it is possible to explore the dating scene in Croatia by signing up to dating sites.

If you are visiting and determined to bring your handset from home, then there is no need to worry since your phone will automatically get hooked up to one of these networks. Other mobile phone networks are Tomato and BonBon popularly owned by one of the largest mobile companies. The two are however not separate networks in their own right.

Market Share for the Network Operators in Croatia

In a competitive market economy like the one currently present in Croatia gives the three main network providers a basis for a healthy market competition. T-Com leads with the largest market share covering a wide area and reposits a highest speed network.

The closest rival for T-Com is the A1 holding the ‘Best in Test’ certificate in 2019. Tele2 comes last, covering a small network coverage. Most subscribers would however opt for T-Com because it has an offer for free roaming in the rural areas. The good news is that T-Com also has the best 4G network availability at 95% with A1 at 87%, and Tele2 with 84% 4G network availability.

Network Connection Speed for Prepaid SIM cards in Croatia

T-Com’s prepaid SIM cards are capped with 75 Mbit/s in download and uploads which makes it very sufficient for all the major applicants. Unfortunately, uncapped speed is only available on prepaid A1 and Tele2.

The most exciting thing about all the three networks provided in Croatia is that they all offer a special tourist SIM only available for foreigners visiting.

Mobile Phone Call Charges in Croatia

The EU mobile roaming charges initially were free before 2017, but were later scrapped off. Currently, any calls made and texts sent are charged from a customer’s monthly allowance in the same way like you were home. As you plan to visit or become a permanent resident in Croatia, it is very lenient to have in mind the presence of the expected roaming mobile network chargers.

However, all's not lost since some travel advice websites have stated that mobile phone operators may still enforce various types of fair use policy on charges of heavy users. The prices for all top-ups are available without the 10% network access fee since it was scrapped off in 2019.

What I need to know as a traveller coming to Croatia

Coming into Croatia arriving from outside the EU, you would need to check with your home mobile network provider to know what your expected charges will be while here. The worry regarding roaming network charges are however solved when your local network provider provides a temporary travel package call charges plan.

All in all, as a traveller coming into Croatia yet planning to use your mobile phone to make calls or send messages back home, it is very necessary to purchase a prepaid SIM card. More of such information and details would be readily available through the websites of the three network operators.

Purchasing a Prepaid SIM card in Croatia

Worried about how to purchase a SIM card in Croatia? No point to worry anymore since they are easily available at most newspaper kiosks and stores. Post offices, service stations, and supermarkets also have the prepaid SIM cards available without registration. But I may also advise that before travelling to Croatia, make sure that you have contacted your home mobile phone operator to enable your roaming network.

While enjoying your holiday or staying in Croatia, you get the chance to readily purchase your prepaid SIM card and also enjoy an easier means of topping up online. The three mobile network operators have the option of online top up. All a customer needs to do is go through their respective websites and choose how much airtime to buy. It is also possible to purchase airtime and date using foreign cards.

Mobile phone subscription in Croatia