Cell service in Italy

filmmaker2002filmmaker2002
Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
Hey everyone. I am going to be in Italy for several weeks in January. I have T-Mobile right now on my Sony Ericsson T68i. How would I go about getting service (not through T-Mobile) in Italy? Any websites I should go to? What companies are there in Italy that I could use for the 3 weeks I am there? I don't HAVE to have a cell phone, but it would sure be nice and convenient. Thanks for any help from those of you who do a lot of traveling overseas.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    coolmaccoolmac Posts: 259member
    You can contact telecom italia.

    their mobile division is TIM (telecomitalia mobili)
  • Reply 2 of 8
    bungebunge Posts: 7,329member
    You might want to try these guys. I've used them for cars, never for phones, but perhaps you could contact them about just getting service for a few weeks.
  • Reply 3 of 8
    zozo Posts: 3,117member
    just about ANYWHERE in Italy, go to any bar, news stand, or electronics store (or, obviously, cell phone store) and you can normally get a subscription to one of 3-4 mobile phone companies.



    www.tim.it (The national telecom spinoff)

    www.wind.it

    www.omnitel.it (Vodafone)



    In my experience, one is as good as the other. You may get slightly better coverage (if you plan in going in remote areas) with TIM and OMNITEL.



    Usually, 60euros will get you started, and that includes 50euros of traffic. I dont even pay attention to prices anymore, they change so ften.



    PS Make sure you contact your mobile operator, T-Mobile, that you can CHANGE YOUR SIM CARD WITH THAT OF ANOTHER OPERATOR. Usually, if you buy a SIM card cell phone with a specific operator (therefore getting it cheap) you are LOCKED IN with that operator for X years (here usually 1-2 years). Of course, you can look online for a TON of un-lockers or go to your local cell phone hack shop to get it unblocked and use any operator you want.
  • Reply 4 of 8
    zozo Posts: 3,117member
    also, in case you dont know, cell phone plans are actually LOGICAL in Europe. You DO NOT PAY when you receive a call like in the US. You pay what you call. Calling a person with the same company usually costs noting or close to nothing. In Italy, the most popular is def TIM and OMNITEL.



    I have NEVER understood that of the US... that is so... so frikken STUPID. Why the hell should I pay when I RECEIVE a call????



    duuuh
  • Reply 5 of 8
    filmmaker2002filmmaker2002 Posts: 686member
    Wow thanks everyone...you've been a huge help.
  • Reply 6 of 8
    dmband0026dmband0026 Posts: 2,345member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by ZO

    also, in case you dont know, cell phone plans are actually LOGICAL in Europe. You DO NOT PAY when you receive a call like in the US. You pay what you call. Calling a person with the same company usually costs noting or close to nothing. In Italy, the most popular is def TIM and OMNITEL.



    I have NEVER understood that of the US... that is so... so frikken STUPID. Why the hell should I pay when I RECEIVE a call????



    duuuh





    I agree. Now I'm pissed. Time to start busting some Verizon butt. However, when someone else with a verizon phone calls mine, or I call theirs, it costs nothing for me.
  • Reply 7 of 8
    stevegongruistevegongrui Posts: 771member
    I (used to) use Wind.



    They have somewhat lower tarriff rates and it also counts your calls by seconds.





    It is true that it gets worse reception than Tim and Omnitel but as long as you're in the city, it will always have good reception.



    I'm now in the US. Why are cell contracts such a drag here? All these plans are very confusing, and most people seem to pay $40 a month. I used to use about $50 for 6 months. The services in Italy are usually not neccessarily by month (unless you choose to hook it up with your credit card account) How it works is you buy a sim card, stick it in and voila. if you want to add money, buy a card and scratch off the number. if you finish the money and don't want the service anymore, just throw away the sim.



    If you want more info, talk to me. I lived in Italy for 14 years.



    btw, can anyone reccommend a service in the US? I'm thinking of getting a cell.



    STeve.
  • Reply 8 of 8
    gycgyc Posts: 90member
    As I understand it, it costs more money in Europe to call cell phones as opposed to landlines, no? The advantage of the U.S. system is that yes, while it costs minutes to take a call on your cell phone, it costs the person calling you no extra money to call your cell. Therefore, if you're running a business using your cell phone, your clients won't have to spend extra money to call you. Plus, U.S. cell plans usually includes a huge (or unlimited) bucket of time for nights and weekend calls.



    As for the prepaid services in the U.S., I agree that it sucks. It appears there is no company that just sells pre-paid SIMs. Instead, you get bundled some crappy phone that you can't choose when you buy a prepaid service. If you're from Europe and want to choose a cell service in the U.S., I assume you want a GSM service? In that case, T-Mobile, Cingular, and AT&T Wireless are your only choices. T-Mobile is GSM nationwide while Cingular and AT&T are busy upgrading all their areas to GSM. T-Mobile is probably your best bet. Just beware that GSM is still not very mature in the U.S., and if the best coverage is your concern, Verizon Wireless or even Sprint PCS is probably your best option.
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