Can I use my current mobile phone in Belgium?

Yes probably – as long as you purchased it in Europe, Asia or Australia/New Zealand.

But if it’s a phone purchased in USA/Canada or Japan then it most likely won’t work as these countries use a different GSM frequency to the one used in Europe.

An exception are so-called tri-band or quad-band mobile phones which can operate on all mobile networks world-wide.

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However, even if your mobile phone (which the locals call simply a “gsm”) does work in Belgium, it can quickly become extremely expensive to use as you’ll be incurring astronomical so-called “roaming tariff” rates for both incoming as well as outgoing calls.  This is especially the case for those from North America or Asia.

After uproar from consumers, the EU has now forced the mobile network providers to cap these roaming charges, but even so the charges are still expensive.

TIP!  Get yourself a Belgian SIM card

If your phone is compatible with the European GSM network (see above) then you’d be much better off  if you purchase a Belgian SIM card from one of the three main mobile network operators.

But: before you do, check that your mobile has not been “SIM-locked” by your provider back home. If so, you will first need to know the SIM code to unlock it before you can use a different SIM card.

A new SIM card will of course also mean your phone has another (Belgian) number.  You can easily obtain a pre-paid SIM card at low cost from one of the Belgian mobile network providers. Incoming calls are usually free to a mobile in Belgium.

Your old mobile number back home will of course still be valid.  You will be able to receive calls to your voicemail box of your old number whilst you have the Belgian SIM card in your phone.

Buying a mobile phone in Belgium

If your mobile doesn’t work in Belgium, then a Belgian SIM card by itself isn’t going to be of any use.  You will also need a European GSM phone. You can buy a simple mobile phone in Belgium cheaply, without having to sign a monthly service agreement. You can then purchase a SIM card for the phone from one of the providers or in some cases from the store where you buy the phone.

Good places to find a cheap mobile are the large electronics chain stores such as Media Markt or Saturn which have branches in all the major Belgian cities.  You can of course also purchase mobile phones from the network operators’ outlets.

The three Belgian mobile network operators

There are three mobile phone networks in Belgium, Proximus, Mobistar and BASE, all of them offering a broadly similar range of monthly subscription or pay-as-you-go systems.

The one I’d recommend is Mobistar who are part of the Orange group.  I think they’re about the best and they’re also the one that I use. Their light and colourful shops are easily recognizable and you can find them in practically every Belgian main shopping street or large mall.

Internet cafes are a cheap alternative to a new SIM card

If you don’t want to bother with messing around with your mobile and new SIM cards or buying a new phone, but still need to make international calls, it’s probably easier and cheaper to find an Internet cafe. Many of them also provide phone booths for making low cost international calls.

Skype is the cheapest alternative of all

Another very good alternative for national and international calls is to use Skype at an Internet cafe or from your laptop if you have Internet access. For those who don’t know, Skype enables you to make international phone calls from a PC to a land line or mobile anywhere in the world for practically the price of a local call.

You need an account with Skype to call a land line or mobile phone number but you can easily fix this up online if you have a credit card.

Finally, if you want to use a public phone, you will first need a pre-paid Belgacom card as coin operated public phones are now practically unknown.

Unfortunately tracking down the pre-paid cards is almost as difficult in practice as finding a public payphone. You can only obtain Belgacom cards directly from Belgacom or Proximus outlets.

Also, be warned that public phones are becoming scarce. It’s probably more hassle than it’s worth!




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