Phone & internetSQ
Phone & internet · Albania
Checked 2026-10-14

📡 Can I use my own router or modem instead of the provider’s in Albania?

The short answer

The law gives you the right to use terminal equipment of your choice, such as your own router or modem, on your internet connection (Law 54/2024, art. 177). Your contract must state any conditions or fees for using equipment the provider supplies.

Many people prefer their own router. Whether your provider must let you connect it, and which details it must give you to set it up, depends on the rules in Albania.

Official source: akep.al · Checked 2026-10-14

📜 The rules in Albania

The details

  • AKEP checks whether a provider imposes its own equipment. Without an objective technical necessity, it treats limiting your choice, for example blocking tethering, as a breach of the open-internet rules. (akep.al)
  • A provider must remove, free of charge, any lock that stops a device from working on other networks, at the latest when you pay the compensation for that device. (akep.al)
  • A separate instalment contract only for building a physical connection is exempt from the 24-month limit, but it may not include a router or modem. (akep.al)

Autoriteti i Komunikimeve Elektronike dhe Postare (AKEP)

Albania's regulator for phone, internet and postal services. It supervises providers, reviews their standard contracts and resolves disputes between subscribers and providers; you can file online through e-Ankesa.

📞 +355 42 259 572🔗 akep.al
Official source: akep.al · Checked 2026-10-14

🪜 Step by step

  1. Check that it fits your lineMake sure the router supports your type of connection: fibre, cable, DSL or mobile.
  2. Ask for the access detailsYou need the login data and settings for the internet connection and, if you have one, for phone service over the internet.
  3. Keep or return the provider’s deviceAsk whether you must return a rented router, and whether you keep paying for it.
  4. If the provider refusesAsk for the refusal in writing and contact the regulator or the dispute body.

📇 Who to contact

Autoriteti i Komunikimeve Elektronike dhe Postare (AKEP)Albania's regulator for phone, internet and postal services. It supervises providers, reviews their standard contracts and resolves disputes between subscribers and providers; you can file online through e-Ankesa.📞 +355 42 259 572🔗 akep.al
Komisioni i Mbrojtjes së Konsumatorëve (KMK)Independent advice for consumersFor advice, template letters and a second opinion🔗 kmk.ekonomia.gov.al

Sponsor this page → One labelled block, €100 a month. Founding price €75 until 31 January 2027.

❓ Questions

Will the provider still help me if something goes wrong?

Providers usually support the connection itself, not equipment you bought. Keep their device and settings so you can test with them.

Do I still pay for the provider’s router?

Check your contract. If the router is rented, ask whether you can stop paying when you use your own.

Will my own router make my internet faster?

It can improve your Wi‑Fi, but the speed of the line itself stays the same.

📎 Sources

Checked: 2026-10-14

🧭 Is this still correct?

We check this information carefully, but phone numbers, websites and rules change — and sometimes we get something wrong. Spotted a mistake or a change? Let us know below.

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