Poland

General info
In Poland currently four network providers are operating:

GSM up to EDGE is on 900 and 1800 Mhz like all over Europe and covers all of the country. 3G/UMTS is on 900 and 2100 Mhz up to HSPA+ (which is sometimes already called 4G) available in most of the country. 4G/LTE has been rolled out recently on 1800 Mhz only so far in a few cities.
 * T-mobile (formerly ERA)
 * Orange (formerly IDEA)
 * Plus (aka Polkomtel)
 * Play

Orange and Plus still have a very limited CDMA coverage. But if you come to Poland a GSM phone working on 900, 1800 and 2100 Mhz frequencies is advisable.

SIM cards can be bought at many places: shops, kiosk, newsagents, tobacconists or the stores of the network operators. Generally, an ID for purchase, but no registration of any kind is required.

Managing your account online may require polish language skills, as no english homepage is available. You can try Google Translate for navigating their websites. Nevertheles, the bonus system of different accounts you have on a polish SIM can be quite confusing to foreigners.

Currently you can get mini, micro and nano SIMs. Although a nano SIM may be harder to get (but can be cut).

Tethering and VoIP is available without any additional cost.

Plus


The SIM card comes with a bilingual polish/english leaflet. Managing your account online would require polish language skills, as no english homepage is available. But since registration is not necessary, you can cope without. Plus has a very good coverage throughout the country on 2G and 3G while their 4G/LTE network is the most advanced nationwide right now: Coverage map plus

Starters
Available starter packs "Startery Plus Nowy Internet na Kartę" Any other Plus SIM card can be switched by typing *147*13# to this tariff. 4G/LTE is activated automatically for free (which is an ongoing promotion from March 2013).
 * 9 PLN - 300 MB included, SIM is valid for 10 days, top up to prolong.
 * 15 PLN - 1 GB included, SIM is valid for 20 days, top up to prolong

Top up
To top up your balance, log on at www.online.plus.pl with you 9-digit phone number and the last (!) four digits of your PUK or use USSD code *123# on your phone. Check balance on USSD code *121#. Overuse is charged by 0.01 PLN per 300 KB.

Night offer
By USSD code *121*11*02# the "night offer" can be activated. It gives you 50 GB high speed traffic in 30 days only in the night hours from 1:00 - 7:00 a.m. local time for 10 PLN.

Setup

 * APN: internet

Play
Play is the smallest of 4 network operators with the most agressive pricing. By the end of 2013 it had covered 80% of the population with 3G/UMTS on 900 and 1800 Mhz which it misleadingly sometimes calls 4G. Real 4G on 1800 Mhz LTE is only available in a few towns so far: Coverage Map (go to Internet. Their it shows "4G/LTE" which is UMTS and LTE combined! The bright purple area is 3G/UMTS, only the dark purple 4G/LTE.)

Play only has a few own 2G/GSM cells in the country covering only 20%. For GSM calls it roams on the other networks for free. This is not available for data roaming.

So Play is not so good on the countryside and on 2G but can be quite fast and cheap in the populated areas. Their SIM card can be bought at kiosks, petrol stations and other points of sale: Play store locator

Starter Play Online na Kartę:
The following starter packs are available: Activation is by USSD code *111*470*1#. The line is active for 30 days. Check status by *111*470#3. To prolong or add data, you need to top up.
 * Free starter with 300MB. This can mostly be found and ordered only online.
 * 9 PLN - 500 MB included in starter
 * 19 PLN - 1 GB included in starter

Top up LTE can be booked for free by typing USSD code *111*471*1#. You need to have 30 PLN loaded when booking. Check map for only limited LTE coverage.

Like Plus, play has a similar night offer: Unlimited data traffic from 1:00 - 8:00 a.m. local time for 10 PLN. Activation by USSD code *111*474*1#

Starter Play na Kartę Lubię to!:
This different product line can be bought for 5 PLN as a starter pack with the same credit on. Often when Play online is not available, this can be found anyway. The tariff must be activated by *163*7# and card is active for 10 days. To prolong, you have to top up which gives you bonus internet.

Top up Additionally socalled "unlimited internet packages" can be booked (meaning when used up, speed is reduced): LTE and the night offer are not available on this product.
 * 250 MB in 7 days for 5 PLN. Activation: *111*274*1#
 * 1 GB in 30 days for 10 PLN: Activation: *111*275*1#

Setup

 * APN: internet
 * check balance: *101#

Orange

 * Orange-logo.jpger pack is sold for 20 PLN with 1 GB included.
 * the best way is to buy "Orange na karte +1GB" starter, but it it is not available you can buy any Orange prepaid starter and change the plan to "Orange Free na Karte" by sending SMS "FREE" to 3033 (costs 0,29 PLN) or by sending code 101*40# (no costs). Note, that you won't have the 1 GB free internet, just the about 50 MB per each 5 PLN on the card. However, still you can buy extra packages and get the bonus - optimal is 25 PLN which includes 1GB bonus, lower boosters give much smaller bonus
 * There is a computer system at *500 which lets you recharge the card or check the balance. More easily, you can check your balance with *124*#
 * by sending "START" to free number 8002, package validity will expand to 1 year. (this costs 3 Zloty)

Data rates

 * 2G and 3G, 4G/LTE- not available for prepaid -[map]

Top up
For top up type: *125* #

Technical info

 * website for Vistior offer in english: orange
 * APN: internet

T-mobile
T-mobile Poland has a fair coverage on 2G and 3G in the country: coverage map

T-mobile sells its prepaid starter pack "Internet na karte" for 4.99 PLN with 500 MB included valid for 1 week. When daily or monthly data is used up, line will be throttled to 16 kbs. Pack will renew automatically if there is credit and not deactivated.
 * daily (default) rate for 2 PLN with 250 MB high speed volume.The daily rate is only debited when going online on that day. A day is a 0:00-23:59 hrs calendar day. Activation: *100*863#, status: *100*863#1^, deactivation: *100*863#2
 * 1 GB in 30 days for 10 PLN. Activation *100*862#, status: *100*862#1, deactivation: *100*862#2
 * 3 GB in 30 days for 20 PLN. Activation: *100*861#, status: *100*861#1, deactivation: *100*861#2
 * 6 GB in 30 days for 30 PLN. Activation: *100*860#, status: *100*860#1, deactivation: *100*860#2

APN: internet, balance check: *101#, top up: *111*

Mobile Vikings
Mobile Vikings is a Belgian MNVO operating in Poland on the rather patchy Play network.

Their SIM card is available only online to be sent to a polish address with one of the packages loaded. According to their Facebook site, they send SIM cards abroad too, what others providers normally don't do. So this is an advantage, if you want your polish SIM before you travel to Poland, but it is a disadvantage, when you look for a SIM in Poland having no local address as there are no agencies selling them on location.

They have only 2 packages including data, domestic SMS and reduced domestic calls:

The bundle is valid for 1 month, credit stays valid for 1 year. Bundle expires 31 days after your last top-up, unless you top up before the expiry date. Top ujps can be made online using an international credit card. If you top up before the expiry date, your remaining data and texts will be transferred to your next period (max. 4 GB and 4000 texts). If you don't top up before the expiry date, texts will be charged from your calling credit after this period. You can still surf the Internet, but only at low speed (32 kbs).

Overuse / out of bundle charges: APN: Internet

Check website (in english): for more information.