Before you start

Passport for prepaid; cédula de identidad for postpaid and fixed services
A Montevideo address for fibre
An unlocked or eSIM-capable handset
A Uruguayan bank account or card, for most postpaid plans

Step-by-step

1
Buy a prepaid SIM on arrival
Antel, Movistar and Claro all sell prepaid packages at the airport and in shopping centres. Registration against a passport is straightforward and covers you for the first weeks.
In personWho: YouDay 1
2
Move to postpaid once you have a cédula
Postpaid plans want a Uruguayan identity document and a local payment method. Antel's plans are competitive and its coverage outside Montevideo is the best in the country, which matters if you will travel inland.
In personWho: You
3
Order Antel fibre for the flat
Fibre to the home is close to universal in Montevideo and speeds are high for the price. Installation is booked online and usually completed within days rather than weeks.
OnlineWho: You
4
Check whether the building already has an Antel installation
Most Montevideo buildings are wired, but older Ciudad Vieja and Cordón blocks occasionally need work that requires the building administration's consent. Ask the administrador before signing a lease if your work depends on the connection.
In personWho: You
5
Ask about the Hogares plan if money is tight
Antel offers a basic residential service at a low or nominal price as part of its universal-service obligation. It is slow by Uruguayan standards and perfectly adequate for browsing, and it exists because the operator is a state company with a public mandate.
OnlineWho: You
6
Port your number rather than starting again
Uruguay operates number portability. Do not cancel the old line before the port completes — the number is attached to your bank's two-factor authentication and to a growing number of services.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport for prepaid
Cédula de identidad for postpaid and fixed services
Proof of Montevideo address
Uruguayan bank details or card

Things most newcomers don’t know

A state telecoms monopoly produced one of the best fibre networks in the hemisphere.

Antel built fibre to the home nationally on a public-service mandate rather than on a commercial return, and the result is FTTH coverage and speeds that outperform much larger and richer countries in the region. For a remote worker this is one of the strongest practical arguments for Montevideo over Buenos Aires or Santiago, and it is rarely the thing people compare.

Source: URSEC

Prepaid on a passport bridges the cédula gap, and postpaid does not.

Postpaid contracts and fixed services want a Uruguayan identity document. Since the cédula follows the residence file being admitted, there is a window at the start where prepaid is the only option. Knowing this in advance stops you spending your first week arguing at a counter, and prepaid data here is inexpensive enough to be a real bridge rather than a stopgap.

Source: URSEC

Antel's universal-service obligation means there is always a cheap tier.

Because the operator is state-owned it maintains a basic residential connection at nominal cost, aimed at households that could not otherwise afford one. It is not marketed and a private operator would not offer it. If you are setting up a second home, a small office or living lean for a few months, ask about it specifically.

Source: Antel

Your Uruguayan number becomes your identity faster than you expect.

Banks, the state's gub.uy services, mutualistas and delivery apps all key on the mobile number, and the state's digital-government layer is genuinely advanced — much of the residence and health paperwork has an online path. Losing the number by letting a prepaid line lapse detaches you from more services here than it would in most countries.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Signing a postpaid contract before the cédula exists.
Assuming an older Ciudad Vieja building is already wired for fibre.
Cancelling a line before the number port completes.
Overlooking the low-cost Antel residential tier when you do not need speed.
Letting a prepaid line lapse and losing a number tied to your bank's authentication.

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