SIM cards, and the fibre that is Chișinău's strongest remote-work argument

Step-by-step

1. 1

   Buy a prepaid SIM on arrival

   Orange, Moldcell and Moldtelecom sell prepaid packs at the airport, in the malls and in kiosks. Data allowances are large and the cost is trivial. Registration against an identity document is required, so bring the passport.

   In personWho: YouDay 1
2. 2

   Ask which operators are already in the block before you sign a lease

   Moldovan buildings are wired by whichever operators have installed equipment in them. If StarNet or Moldtelecom is not physically present in your block, getting them means a building committee decision that may never come. This is a thirty-second question that prevents the most common broadband disappointment here.

   In personWho: You
3. 3

   Order fibre once you have the lease

   In a block that is already wired, installation is usually within the week. StarNet pioneered FTTx here and Moldtelecom has the widest footprint; between them they hold most of the fixed market. Orange's Chișinău fixed network measures fastest of all in the capital.

   OnlineWho: You
4. 4

   Move to postpaid once the permit and account exist

   Postpaid needs the residence permit, an IDNP and usually a Moldovan account for direct debit. It is cheaper per gigabyte and bundles handset financing. Prepaid is perfectly usable in the meantime and nothing is lost by waiting.

   In personWho: You
5. 5

   Keep the number when you switch

   Moldova operates mobile number portability. Never cancel the old contract before the port completes — the number is released and cannot be recovered.

   In personWho: You
6. 6

   Carry a second SIM if you work from home

   Mobile data is cheap enough that a second SIM on a different operator is a trivially inexpensive redundancy. In a country where fibre is excellent but a single building fault or a power interruption can take you offline for a day, it is better value here than almost anywhere.

   Mobile appWho: You