Note: There is a new overview of prepaid price plans for mobile Internet access via GPRS or UMTS in Denmark. Please read: Three Prepaid Plans for Mobile Internet Access via UMTS in Denmark

Especially people living in Northern Germany like to spend their vacations in Denmark: It only takes you a few-hours drive to get there, you have great beaches (without visitor’s tax as in Germany!) and breathe the healthy sea air, and you can enjoy the coziness of Danish cottages. When I was a kid, my parents often took me to Blavand, Vejers, Henne Strand or some other little village at the North Sea coast during the summer vacations, and today I still try to spend at least one week every year in this part of Denmark. Nowadays, when I am on vacation in Denmark I don’t want to miss access to the internet. However, only some of the cottages you can rent for one or more weeks offer (free) internet access. This is why this time, I have been looking for an alternative.

Because of high data roaming charges it is not advisable to use an UMTS surf stick with a German SIM card in Denmark. And don’t count on finding an internet café in one of the small villages along the North Sea coast. Therefore, it is probably best to consider buying a prepaid SIM card (with or without an UMTS surf stick) of a Danish provider. In a mobile phone shop of operator TDC, I have bought a prepaid starter package called “Bredband-2-GO-Cash” including a SIM card, the UMTS surf stick Huawei E1550 USB and credit for accessing the internet via GPRS or UMTS over a period of one week. Purchase price: DKK 290.00 which is around EUR 35.00. Internet access for one day costs DKK 39.00, for one week DKK 129.00, or for one month DKK 299.00.

Buying the “Bredband-2-GO-Cash” prepaid starter package of TDC was easy: Neither did I have to top up new credit nor to show an ID. I just payed the money and got the little box. When arriving on a weekend, you should remember that most stores in Denmark are closed between Saturday afternoon and Sunday night. I did not see any such prepaid packages for mobile internet access at large supermarkets which have expanded opening hours. Credit will be valid for one year and can be topped up online or by credit card. As a foreigner, it is not possible to buy the prepaid starter package at the TDC web store – for online shopping you need a residence in Denmark and a CPR number (Centrale Person Register).

The UMTS surf stick Huawei E1550 USB comes without a SIM lock and supports GPRS, EDGE, UMTS and HSDPA 3.6 mbps. Unfortunately, there is no English language manual, but once the USM modem has been connected to ther notebook, the connection manager software “Mobile Partner” with all the necessary settings (APN: “internet”) will be installed automatically. After that you enter the PIN and the SIM card connects to the web. In Vejers, there is UMTS and sometimes even HSDPA coverage. However, if I understand the instructions in the manual right, with “Bredband-2-GO-Cash” the data transfer speed is limited to 2 mbps (download).