up to 3.6 Mbps. The internet provider is a European company called Simyo and it utilises either the Vodafone or Orange/Amena 3G signal depending upon whichever is the strongest. There is also a one-off 99 Euro setup fee, which is bundled into the payment package.

How does this all work ?
In effect, this deal is a 36 month interest-free bank loan of 1,765.22 Euro, which pays for your internet connectivity in total for that period. You then pay back the monthly amounts to your bank over the 36 month period (i.e. 1765.22 / 36).

How long will it take to receive my internet access and free gifts ?
Once you have filled in a quick form with your name, address and NIE number (we don’t take any bank details from you), we will arrange for the bank loan application form to be generated (2 days). Immediately after you receive the loan form from us, you take it to your bank for processing. Typically, the banks have been taking 10 working days to process the loan forms, setup the loan and take the initial monthly payment from your account. 5-8 days after the first payment is taken, you will receive your 3G internet stick and instructions for activation. 20 days after the first payment is taken, you will receive the free gifts you selected.

Isn’t this too good to be true ?
It does seem that way - you’re paying out 1765 Euro over 3 years, but receiving 1200 Euro worth of gifts (which would mean that your internet is costing 565 Euro, equivalent to just under 14 Euro per month) - but this really is all above board and being driven/supported by the Spanish Government.

Previous reports of problems with one particular bank in Mollina have now been resolved and customers have been able to gain loans without any problems.

If you prefer not to involve your bank, the alternative would be to pay the entire amount up front in cash - this guarantees and speeds up the whole process considerably.

Anything else I need to know ?
The key element to all of this is whether or not you can get a 3G signal at your location. For a small fee (dependent upon location), we will be happy to visit your property and carry out a 3G signal test. Even if the signal is available but a little low, we can supply 3G signal boosters which will hopefully give that extra bit of signal strength to get you connected and using applications such as Skype in no time.

I’ve heard on the grapevine that ....
a) There is only limited access and that it only works at certain times of the day
Not true - the service is “Ilimitado” which means “unlimited” in Spanish and is therefore available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
b) I know someone who used it and had an enormous bill to pay because they went over their limit
Complete Rubbish ! If you go over your allocated 1Gb of traffic within the month, your speed will be slowed down, there is absolutely nothing additional to pay. We are aware of a vodafone 3G customer who used his internet stick in England but did not have “International Roaming” agreed as a part of his monthly package and therefore had to pay an additional amount as in effect, he was making mobile calls from abroad.
c) It only works for 7 minutes at a time and then you are cutoff
Another total untruth - We are aware of a vodafone customer who has such a low signal where he lives, that the high-speed connection rises and falls at a regular interval. We are working with this person to see if one of our signal boosters may be able to help solve his problem.

The key message here is that issues b+c above relate to the Vodafone 3G service and this does not necessarily mean that you will have the same experience with the Simyo system.

What is Inland Computer Services getting out of all this ?
We are not selling anything as a part of this deal, we are only acting as a messenger, passing the necessary paperwork from you to the main agent and vice-versa. For this, we receive a very small commission from the main agent. Why are we doing this for virtually nothing ? - it’s to hopefully raise our profile in the local community and also, we believe that expatriates should be entitled to exactly the same government benefits as all residents in Spain.

Because we are not profiting directly through this deal, it would be unreasonable to expect us to provide free support for the products or internet services provided, therefore, should anything happen to your equipment or internet connection, you have the choice to contact Simyo (the 3G internet provider) or Airis (the laptop manufacturer) directly in order to gain your free warranty support. Alternatively, you can request help from us and this will be charged at our standard hourly labour rate and if applicable, our standard callout fee.

For instance, we will be happy to provide free help with the activation of your 3G sim card (if you bring all of the details in to our shop), but if you require assistance with installing your 3G stick and software, or you would like your laptop to be in English rather than Spanish (or you require Windows XP instead of Windows Vista) then this will be chargeable work.

The other thing we absolutely cannot compromise on, is that we’re a computer service, so we will not be able to provide any assistance with your TV or your scooter, should you encounter any problems - sorry...