Which local network to lean on, what a tourist SIM costs on the ground, and the one coverage caveat that matters - for 43 destinations across Europe.
| Country | Main operator | Local SIM | Coverage note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | ONE Albania | $10-20 | Vodafone offers the widest network with the best coastal and rural reach. |
| Andorra | Andorra Telecom | $15 to 30 | Andorra Telecom offers The only operator. |
| Austria | Drei | $15-25 | A1 offers the widest network with the best Alpine and rural coverage. |
| Belgium | Proximus BASE (Telenet) | $15-25 | Proximus offers the widest and most reliable network. |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | BH Telecom | $10-20 | BH Telecom offers the widest network with strong coverage in and around the Federation. |
| Bulgaria | Vivacom | $8-18 | A1 offers the widest network with strong rural reach and broad 5G. |
| Croatia | Telemach Croatia A1 Croatia | $15-25 | Hrvatski Telekom offers the widest network with the best island and rural reach. |
| Cyprus | Cyta | $15-25 | Cyta offers the incumbent with the widest and most reliable coverage in the south. |
| Czech Republic | Vodafone O2 | $12 to 20 | O2 offers Widest national coverage. |
| Denmark | 3 | $15-25 | TDC / Nuuday offers the benchmark network for reach and reliability. |
| Estonia | Telia Eesti | $10-20 | Telia offers the widest and most reliable network with broad 5G. |
| Finland | DNA | $15-25 | Elisa offers the widest network with strong reach into the north. |
| France | Orange | $15-25 | Orange offers the widest all round network and the strongest rural and 5G coverage. |
| Germany | O2 Deutschland Vodafone Deutschland | $15-30 | Deutsche Telekom offers the benchmark for reach and reliability. |
| Greece | Nova (anciennement Wind Hellas) Vodafone Greece | $15-25 | Cosmote offers the widest network with the best island and rural reach. |
| Hungary | Vodafone Hungary Yettel Hungary | $10-20 | Magyar Telekom offers the widest and most reliable network with the best rural reach. |
| Iceland | Nova | $20-30 | Siminn offers the widest network with the best rural and Ring Road reach. |
| Ireland | Three Vodafone | $15-25 | Vodafone offers the widest network with the best rural reach. |
| Italy | WindTre | $15-25 | TIM offers the widest network with the best reach into rural and mountain areas. |
| Latvia | LMT | $10-20 | LMT offers the widest network with the best rural reach. |
| Liechtenstein | — | $20 to 35 | Telecom Liechtenstein (FL1) offers The main operator. |
| Lithuania | Telia | $10-20 | Telia offers the widest and most reliable network with broad 5G. |
| Luxembourg | Tango POST Luxembourg | $15-25 | POST Luxembourg offers the incumbent with the widest and most reliable network. |
| Malta | GO Epic | $15-25 | Epic wide and reliable coverage across all three islands with broad 5G. |
| Moldova | Orange Moldova | $8-18 | Orange offers the widest network with strong rural reach and fast data. |
| Monaco | Monaco Telecom | $20 to 40 | Monaco Telecom offers The main operator. |
| Montenegro | M:tel Montenegro | $10-20 | Crnogorski Telekom offers the widest network with the best coastal and rural reach. |
| Netherlands | VodafoneZiggo KPN | $15-25 | KPN offers the benchmark network for reliability and 5G depth. |
| North Macedonia | Telekom MK | $8 to 15 | A1 offers Widest coverage. |
| Norway | Telia Norge | $20-35 | Telenor offers the benchmark network with the best fjord. |
| Poland | Orange Polska Play (P4) | $10-20 | Orange offers the widest network with strong rural reach and broad 5G. |
| Portugal | NOS | $10-20 | MEO offers the widest network with the best rural and island reach. |
| Romania | Vodafone Romania | $8-18 | Orange offers the widest network with strong rural reach and broad 5G. |
| San Marino | TIM San Marino | $15 to 30 | San Marino Telecom offers The main operator. |
| Serbia | Yettel | $10-20 | Telekom Srbija (mts) offers the widest network with the best rural reach. |
| Slovakia | O2 Slovakia Orange Slovensko | $10-20 | Orange offers the widest network with strong rural reach. |
| Slovenia | Telekom Slovenije | $10-20 | Telekom Slovenije offers the widest network with the best rural and mountain reach. |
| Spain | Orange España (MASORANGE) Movistar (Telefónica España) | $10-20 | Movistar offers the widest network with the best rural and mountain coverage. |
| Sweden | Telia Tre | $15-25 | Telia offers the widest network with the best reach into the north. |
| Switzerland | Sunrise Salt Mobile | $20-35 | Swisscom offers the benchmark network with the best Alpine and rural reach. |
| Turkey | Türk Telekom Mobile Turkcell | $15-30 | Turkcell offers the widest network with the best rural and coastal reach. |
| Ukraine | Lifecell Kyivstar | $5 to 12 | Kyivstar offers Widest coverage and most reliable. |
| United Kingdom | O2 (Virgin Media O2) Three UK | $15-25 | EE offers the widest network with the best rural reach and 5G. |
"Top" means the network we'd hand a traveller who can only choose one - the best balance of nationwide reach and reliability where tourists actually go, not simply the largest subscriber base. Local SIM prices are typical tourist-package rates bought on arrival, in USD.
Reviewed monthly against operator reports and field observation. History from June 2026.
It is the network we would hand to a traveller who can choose only one: the best balance of reach and reliability where visitors actually go, not simply the largest subscriber base.
No. Local SIM figures are typical tourist-package prices bought on arrival and are shown separately from the travel-eSIM price index.
The dataset is refreshed monthly. Each page shows its current update month and links to the open data-europe.json source file.
Yes. The dataset and derived figures are published under CC BY 4.0. Credit DriftEuropa and link to the relevant page or source file.
DriftEuropa, "Europe Mobile Operators Reference", September 2026. https://drifteuropa.com/data/data-europe.jsonOpen data under CC BY 4.0. Free to reuse with attribution.