Mobile internet in and around Barcelona?

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Q: I am coming to Barcelona with four people staying in a house in the small town close to Barbastro. We are hoping to somehow buy mobile 3G or similar internet and would like your help in trying to do so.

Is it possible for a foreigner to buy a mobile broadband (3G or similar) Wi-Fi connection? If the answer is no to the above question, I have a friend who lives and has an address in Barcelona. Could he buy a mobile broadband connection with a duration of two weeks? Or what would be the minimum period required? Obviously, Olvena is a small town, and the mobile broadband reception might be bad in that area. How would I figure out if the connection would work there? What would be the price of such an internet connection?

A: You can buy a "pay as you go" internet 4G USB dongle from any of the major telecoms companies, e.g. Vodafone, Movistar (Telefonica) or Orange. You can buy this for either a daily rate or monthly rate. Once you have opened your account, you need to charge it up with the amount of credit you intend to use. You will need one USB dongle for each PC if you intend that your friends want to use the internet at the same time. There are also bandwidth limits set on these dongles. They vary for different suppliers, so it's best to shop around for the best deal. You would need to charge up your account to make sure you have enough credit to cover you for the number of days you want - depending on the package you go for.

Orange 4G dongle monthly rate: €39.95

If you are looking for the best coverage then I'm not able to comment on that issue. Movistar is the no.1 supplier of telecoms in Spain, so I would guess they are the most likely to have the best coverage however don't quote me on that.

I do not think there is any restriction from buying an internet dongle connection here if you are not resident - however, you would need to have photographic identification to be able to do so.