Brussels eSIM
In Brussels you connect to Proximus or Orange, whichever is performing better where you are standing. The typical speed across the country is 77 Mbps. Your data starts working the moment you land, before you reach the immigration hall.
- Networks
- Proximus and Orange
- Typical speed in Belgium
- 77 Mbps typical, 21 Mbps at busy times
- 5G
- yes, non standalone
- Throttle
- None on metered plans
- Tethering
- Allowed on every plan
Plans that cover Brussels
| Data | Validity | Price per GB | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | Never expires | $5.89 | $5.89 | |
| 3 GB | Never expires | $2.63 | $7.89 | |
| 5 GBMost travellers | Never expires | $1.98 | $9.89 | |
| 10 GB | Never expires | $1.49 | $14.89 | |
| 20 GB | Never expires | $1.19 | $23.89 | |
| 50 GB | Never expires | $1.20 | $59.89 |
How Belgium compares across Europe
- Regional typical speed
- 71 Mbps
- Upstream networks
- 2, Proximus, Orange
- 5G
- Yes, non standalone
- Next fastest nearby
- Spain, 79 Mbps
- Next slowest nearby
- Portugal, 74 Mbps
- Cities with their own page
- 3: Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp
Landing at Brussels Airport (Zaventem) (BRU)
- Airport
- BRU / EBBR
- Distance
- 12 km from the centre of Brussels
- Wifi on arrival
- Free wifi in the terminalThe airport's own services page says to select 'Brussels Airport Free Wi-Fi' and accept the terms; no phone number or SMS code is described.
- Also serves
- Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL)
Getting into Brussels
- SNCB/NMBS train from Brussels Airport-Zaventem to Brussels-Central (BRU), about 17 minutes. Runs through tunnels, where a signal drops
- Flibco shuttle bus from Charleroi Airport to Brussels-Midi/Zuid (CRL), about 55 minutes
Underground and on the metro
Brussels Metro (STIB/MIVB) runs 4 lines. It opened in 1976. The operator states mobile coverage throughout the tunnels.
Worth knowing about Brussels
- Despite its name, Brussels South Charleroi Airport is 46 km south of Brussels and only 7 km from Charleroi, so arriving there means a separate hour-long bus transfer rather than a city-centre arrival.
- Train tickets to and from Brussels Airport carry an extra Brussels Airport Supplement (formerly the Diabolo fee) of EUR 6.90 on top of the normal fare.
- Brussels Airport's railway station is underground: ticket desks are on level -1 and trains arrive on level -2, with the Diabolo link running in tunnel beneath the runways.
- Orange Belgium states that its 4G reaches all Brussels metro lines and stations, including inside the carriages, using 67 network installations.
- Alongside its 4 true metro lines, Brussels runs 3 premetro tram lines through the same tunnels, so an underground station is not always a metro station.
- wifi.brussels is the region's official free network, with more than 200 hotspots on squares, main roads, some museums and STIB metro stations. Signing up needs a valid phone number to receive an SMS code, after which the account works for a year and reconnects automatically.
- SNCB offers free wifi in the halls and on the platforms at Brussels-Central, Brussels-South, Brussels-North, Brussels-Luxembourg, Brussels-Schuman and Brussels Airport-Zaventem stations, once you create a MySNCB account.
- STIB bus 12, the Airport Line, links Brussels Airport with the European Quarter and connects with the metro at Schuman and Trone. Leaving the airport you pay the Airport2City fare of 7.90 euros by tapping a bank card on board, and Brupass tickets are not valid for this leg.
- Any contactless card, phone or watch works at STIB metro gates and on buses and trams. A ride costs 2.40 euros with free transfers for 60 minutes, spending stops at 8.50 euros a day, and each traveller needs a separate card or device.
- Brupass tickets cover STIB, SNCB trains, De Lijn and TEC buses anywhere inside the Brussels-Capital Region, and Brupass XL stretches that to the outskirts, useful for a suburban station a metro ticket would not reach.
- Noctis night buses run on Friday and Saturday nights from midnight to 3am on 11 lines, departing every 20 to 30 minutes from beside Gare Centrale at the ordinary fare. On any night between 11pm and 6am, the shared Collecto taxi runs from 200-plus stops for 6 euros a person, booked by app.
- The whole Brussels-Capital Region is a low emission zone. Cars registered abroad, apart from Dutch ones, must be registered online before driving in; registration is free and lasts five years.
- STIB's 400 GO vending machines sell tickets around the clock. A MOBIB card, the Belgian transit smartcard, holds tickets for STIB, SNCB trains, De Lijn and TEC, and the Airport Line costs the same 7.90 euros with MOBIB as with a tapped bank card.