The Republic of Slovenia was declared independent in June 1991 as one of the successors of the former Yugoslavia, and today it’s a small country with just over two million inhabitants. But its privileged location in the heart of Central Europe, next to the Adriatic Sea, and as the gateway Balkan region makes it one of Europe’s hidden paradises, where dreamlike lakes reflect the peaks of a mountainous topography within beautiful landscapes worthy of a postcard.
Much has changed in Slovenia since its independence, including when it comes to the internet. Only five months after the dissolution of Yugoslavia, Slovenia launched itself online and nowadays the country is an example to many other nations thanks to its high internet penetration rates, decent connection speeds and a free state that doesn’t censor or monitor the online world. In turn, this means that VoIP and streaming services are fully accessible within Slovenian borders, as are VPNs.
For those that are not familiar with the country, Slovenia is not exactly the first name that comes to mind when thinking about internet quality in Europe. However, the truth is quite the surprise. For instance, in the February 2017 report launched by Open Signal, Slovenia is ahead of countries such as Germany, France, or the USA when it comes to the average mobile data connection speeds of both 3G and 4G. Likewise, some ISPs already have commercial fiber-optic plans at reasonable prices for domestic internet with speeds of up to 100 Mbit/s. The internet penetration rate is over 70%, which is a good number for a country mostly shaped by mountains.
But the cherry on top of all this is that there is no evidence of the government monitoring the internet or applying any kind of censorship. People are free to access Facebook, YouTube, Skype, WhatsApp and many of the other usual targets using a Slovenian IP address, and similarly there are no restrictions on buying VPN subscriptions either.
Along with eight other countries, Slovenia joined the European Union on May 1 2004, which means that the country has adopted the common regulations established for all the member states, including those that govern the internet. In fact, one of the most important rules on this matter is regarding the collection and handling of user data by ISPs and other entities, the so-called General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which was fully introduced in May 2018 following a two-year transition period.
This mostly states that entities are legally required to request consent from the clients before other products can be advertised to them, in other words controlling whether these entities can share the data with third parties. Such entities are also required to delete all data collected about any given user when the contract between both parties is terminated or when such data is no longer deemed necessary.
As mentioned previously, Slovenia is a free country both offline and online. There are no records of the government intervening with people’s internet affairs and, therefore, social media websites, VoIP, or streaming services are all accessible without restriction. In fact, the government respects its law and constitution, which enables freedom of speech and press.
However, incitements to violence or intolerance is a crime, much like hate speech and defamation. As Freedom House details in a 2015 report, the latter is particularly used by political figures to sue journalists and media outlets, which often encourages self-censorship.
But when it comes to torrenting and copyright material, Slovenia is a curious case. The law states that such practice is illegal and some websites are known to be monitored, but they haven’t been shut down nor have people that have been using them for years ended up being persecuted. Nonetheless, since the law prohibits such practice, our advice is to stay away from it.
The decent Slovenian internet speeds and the fact that the government doesn’t block foreign content like in other countries means that people can look forward to a night of quality streaming. In fact, some of the world’s most popular streaming services are present in this small European paradise, as Slovenia was one of the many countries added to Netflix’s plan for world domination back in the beginning of 2016. The range of content is not the best at just over 200 TV shows and 500 movies, but the good news is there are other alternatives available as well, like Amazon Prime Video or HBO GO, for instance. Curiously, the latter still has a lot of European ground to cover and so Slovenians should be happy that their country is available in this service.
Interestingly enough, despite the constant appeals from the community, Spotify is still not available in Slovenia. In turn, this means resorting to alternatives such as Apple Music, Deezer, Tidal, and others.
With an extensive server network spanning 105 countries, apps for all major platforms, and even extra security tools like an ad blocker, ExpressVPN delivers all you need for a private and secure online experience.
The software is easy to use across all devices, and the speed trumps many of its competitors, making it one of the fastest VPNs on the market. Android and iOS customers can make the most of a 7-day free trial with unlimited bandwidth and everyone can enjoy three months for free when opting for annual billing.
is a Romanian VPN service founded in 2011 and owned by Kape Technologies – known for other privacy-focused solutions like ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access. It features unlimited bandwidth, multiple-device compatibility, and above average speeds in over 11,500 servers across more than 100 countries.
It excels in hiding torrent practices and unblocking geo-restricted websites while still being an excellent option for those simply looking to surf anonymously. Plus, its apps are incredibly intuitive and aesthetically pleasing. Anyone can subscribe to CyberGhost VPN for as low as $2.03 per month with the option to try it first for 1 day on Windows and macOS or 3 days on Android and iOS.
NordVPN has already managed to conquer the market by being one of the most reputable and trustworthy services ever made. Among its vast arsenal of features, the close attention given to security is one of the major highlights, thanks to the presence of an automatic kill switch, protection against DNS leaks, ads and malware, and even double VPN servers.
Speaking of which, these are only some of NordVPN's special servers that compose a global network filled with unusual locations, P2P countries, support for Onion over VPN, and more. NordVPN has a handful of different subscriptions in the form of simple apps for all kinds of devices and user types.
For as little as $3.09 per month, users can enjoy all the perks of having a secure and high-speed VPN. Plus, a generous refund policy allows you to get your money back if you decide NordVPN isn’t for you during the first 30 days.
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