Ålcom's prepaid data and calls, on 3G only
Ålcom's prepaid page says its Mobildata Prepaid is the right choice for someone who wants to browse on holiday or during a longer stay on Åland. At the time of checking, it listed 7 days of free surfing for 25.31 euros, with more days ordered at 5.06 euros a day, and 40 days for 59.72 euros, with each product marked as 3G only. A separate Prepaid Telefonkort for calls, texts and mobile data cost 30.45 euros, also marked 3G only, and the page says it is not possible to call service numbers.
The page says top-ups can be made on the customer page, in the Ålcom app or at the shop over the counter, or by bank payment with your phone number in the message field, and that the subscription ends if not topped up within 12 months. Calling prepaid subscriptions carry a minimum charge of 3.90 euros a month. It does not say whether free surfing is capped for prepaid users or what a visitor must show to buy a card, so ask in the shop.
eSIM at Ålcom: for subscribers, not a tourist product
Ålcom's eSIM page says you need an Ålcom mobile subscription and an eSIM-compatible phone that can scan a QR code, and that existing customers can switch by logging in to the customer page and choosing a SIM swap with eSIM. After activation the physical SIM stops working. A SIM swap costs 8 euros, and eSIM is offered for phones, not smart watches.
Because the page describes switching an existing subscription, we make no claim that a visitor can buy an Ålcom eSIM, and the prepaid page does not mention eSIM. A foreign eSIM can still sit on one slot of a dual-SIM phone while a local Ålcom card sits on the other, if you want a local number.
2G is gone, 5G is coming, and the maps are theoretical
Ålcom's page on the phase-out says the 2G network was shut permanently on 3 February 2025, after a validation period in January 2024, and that the operator has decided to introduce 5G across Åland and keep developing 4G, with no decision yet on when 3G will be closed. A phone that supports only 2G will not connect, and, given the 3G-only prepaid products, a phone that has lost 3G support may need a different plan.
Its coverage page publishes maps for 5G, 4G and 3G for 2025 and says the maps are guidance only because they are based on theoretical values, not measurements, and that coverage varies with distance from the base station, buildings, vegetation, terrain and weather. Its homepage shows postpaid plans with free surfing on Åland and Finland and a data allowance for use in the EU, such as 15 GB for 33.90 euros a month, which a visitor would not buy.
Getting to Åland, and moving between the islands
Visit Åland says you can reach the islands by ferry from Stockholm, Grisslehamn and Kapellskär in Sweden, from Turku, Naantali and Helsinki in Finland and from Tallinn in Estonia, or by flight in about 30 minutes from Arlanda and Turku and an hour from Helsinki. It lists Finnlines, Eckerö Linjen, Finnair, Tallink Silja and Viking Line as operators, and Ålandstrafiken for the public ferries between mainland Finland and Åland through the small islands.
It says that anyone travelling with a bike or a car on those public ferries must buy the ticket in advance, either on the Ålandstrafiken website or at its office in Mariehamn. Keep your tickets on your phone. The tourist board says the best way to travel on Åland is by car or bike because of short distances, with ferries between islands and bus connections to the countryside.
Entry rules
The UK Foreign Office's Finland page says UK visitors can travel without a visa to the Schengen area, including Finland, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, and that border control may ask for proof of accommodation, a return or onward ticket and proof of enough money. We found no Åland-specific entry page, and rules differ by nationality, so check the Finnish authorities for your own passport.
Emergency number, health contacts and the defibrillator app
Visit Åland lists 112 as the general emergency number, the Åland central hospital switchboard on +358 18 5355 and, for tourists and temporary visitors, medical assistance and information on +358 18 538 500, with a dentist on duty on +358 18 538 524. It says there are around 200 defibrillators on Åland, and that the site hjartstartare.ax and its mobile app at m.hjartstartare.ax show where the nearest one is, and it suggests saving the app on your phone. The UK Foreign Office also gives 112 for ambulance, fire and police in Finland.
Our Åland plan page covers data before you arrive.
Networks our Åland Islands plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for Åland Islands, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- Alands Mobiltelefon4G
- Ålcom5G
- Telia FI5G