Before you start

Passport, for a prepaid SIM
NIE and a Spanish bank account, for a contract
An unlocked or eSIM-capable handset
A Spanish address, for fibre installation

Step-by-step

1
Buy a prepaid SIM on your passport on arrival
Available at the airport, phone shops and supermarkets. Registration against your passport is required by law and takes a few minutes at the counter. A Spanish number in your first hour unlocks bank verification and the appointment portals.
In personWho: YouDay 1
2
Wait for the NIE before taking a contract
Contract tariffs need a NIE and usually a Spanish IBAN for the direct debit. They are considerably better value than prepaid and typically bundle mobile with fibre, but there is no premium you can pay to skip the identity requirement.
In personWho: You
3
Bundle fibre with mobile, which is how Spain prices it
Spanish operators price convergent bundles aggressively and mobile alone is poor value by comparison. In Granada's modern districts symmetric gigabit is ordinary and inexpensive.
OnlineWho: You
4
Ask the neighbours, not the coverage map, in the old city
The Albaicín is a UNESCO-listed conservation area with a protective plan governing what may be fixed to facades, and many carmenes and older buildings in the centre and Realejo have restricted or awkward cabling routes. An operator's map may show coverage on the street while the connection into a specific building needs the community's agreement or a heritage permission. The people already living in the block know the answer; the call centre does not.
OnlineWho: YouBefore signing a lease
5
Consider the low-cost operators seriously
The virtual operators reselling the main networks are substantially cheaper on the same masts, and are more willing to take a customer on a passport plus NIE without extensive credit checks — useful in a city where a lot of people have no Spanish credit history.
OnlineWho: You
6
Keep your number when you switch
Portability between Spanish operators is a legal right and is handled by the receiving operator within a short statutory period. Never cancel the old service first — you lose the number.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport, for prepaid registration
NIE and Spanish IBAN, for a contract
Proof of address, for fibre installation

Things most newcomers don’t know

In the Albaicín the fibre question is a heritage question, not a coverage one.

The quarter is UNESCO-listed and governed by a protective plan that controls what may be attached to facades and how, and many properties are individually protected carmenes. That means an installation which is routine three streets downhill can require the building community's agreement and a conservation permission, and can be refused in the form the operator normally uses. The city's fibre statistics are excellent and tell you nothing about a specific carmen. Ask the neighbours before signing.

Source: community-reported

There is no anonymous SIM in Spain, unlike the UK.

Every Spanish SIM must be registered against an identity document at activation. A passport is enough for prepaid, so this is not a barrier — but arriving expecting to buy one off a supermarket shelf and use it immediately, as you can in Britain, means an unexpected counter visit with documents on your first day.

Source: Ministerio para la Transformación Digital

The NIE, not the money, is what gates a good tariff.

Contract plans are far better value than prepaid and almost always bundle fibre, but they require a NIE and usually a Spanish IBAN. Since the NIE depends on the residency process and the IBAN depends on the NIE, the chain runs address → padrón → NIE → bank → phone. Budget several weeks of prepaid as part of the move rather than being surprised by it.

Source: community-reported

Spanish fibre is genuinely excellent and cheap, which is the underrated argument for Granada.

Spain has among the highest full-fibre penetration in Europe, well ahead of Germany or the UK, and symmetric gigabit connections are ordinary. Combine that with the lowest rents of any major Andalusian city and Granada becomes an unusually cheap place to do remote work well. The trade is the airport: Granada's is small with limited routes, and most international travel routes through Málaga, about an hour and a half away by road.

Source: Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming an Albaicín or Realejo address can get fibre because the street has coverage.
Expecting to buy an anonymous SIM as in the UK.
Signing a long contract before you have a NIE and being pushed onto a worse tariff.
Buying mobile alone when Spain prices convergent bundles far better.
Cancelling your old service before porting the number.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.