Italy

Basics

Operators

There are four network providers currently operating in Italy:

• TIM
• Vodafone
• Wind
• 3 (= 'Tre')

In recent years MVNOs have started up competing with the network providers on their networks. The four biggest MVNOs 2014 by customer numbers CoopVoce, PosteMobile, FastWeb, Lycamobile and the start-up Ringo Mobile are listed.

The parent companies Vimpelcom and CK Hutchison of Wind and 3 agreed to a merger in summer 2015. Pending approval of the regulators, Wind and Tre will become one network in the coming years.

Frequencies

2G up to EDGE is on 900 and 1800 MHz, 3G UMTS on 900 and 2100 MHz. LTE/4G is on 800, 1800 and 2600 MHz, has started on all providers and is available to all prepaid customers mainly in the cites, but not for their MVNOs. TIM followed by Vodafone has the best coverage at higher prices, but Vodafone has the best LTE coverage. 3 and wind can still be patchy, but at better prices.

Legal requirements

To purchase a prepaid (= ricaricabile) SIM card a photo ID (e.g. a passport) is necessary in Italy. You can get them in the shops of the providers where they will be registered as well.

Sometimes, when the contract modules enforce it, you might be asked for a "codice fiscale" (tax code), a sequence of letters and digits for Italian citiziens and expats for tax and identification matters (more info in Italian.). As a non-Italian traveller of course you don't have yours, but given that it's made by an algorithm considering your name, gender, birth date and birth place, it may be easliy created by specific software or online: How to create a codice fiscale. Some shop sellers may propose you to calculate yours to fill in the purchase contract: for an administrative point of view it might not be the best practice but, due to bureaucratic minutiae, in the end it's the faster way to get a SIM card.

Top-ups can be bought at many more places like tobacconists (blue-'n-white / black-'n-white "T" signs), supermarkets, newsagents and even bars or coffeeshops.

TIM

TIM owned by Telecom Italia is still the biggest operator in the country. They have the best coverage competing with Vodafone: all of the country is covered by 2G, most of it by 3G but 4G/LTE is available in 3,500 municipalities covering 80% of the population. TIM 4G coverage

The prepaid SIM card costs 10 € with 5 € credit in their stores Store Locator . Sometimes they charge an activation fee for new custormers of 3 € for booking a package.

Topping up online on their website seems not working with many non-Italian credit cards (Visa or Master), as users have reported. You might try AmEx or PayPal there instead. This makes it harder to keep a SIM card alive from abroad. In Italy you can still top-up by going to a tobacconist, supermarket, newsagent or bar, where the clerk behind the counter does the recharge on his terminal for cash.

Standard SIM

Their prepaid lines are called TIM Zero Scatti New, TIM a secondi, TIM 9, TIM 12 or Tutto Compresso Base. SIM cards are sold for 10 € with 5 € credit on. They only differ for voice and text. Default rate for data is their daily rate of 4 € for 500 MB. Beyond the included data volume, speed will be reduced to 32 Kbps. No data packages are offered for these tariffs.

Combined package SIM

They have introduced prepaid SIMs with combined packages, all valid for 28 days. New SIM card is again 10 € with 5 € on:

• TIM Special Voci & dati: 500 domestic minutes, 1 GB data - 15 €
• TIM Special Start: 1000 domestic minutes, 2 GB data - 20 €
• TIM Special Large: 3000 domestic minutes, 3 GB data - 30 €
• TIM Special Unlimited: unlimited domestic voice and SMS, 250 mins call time to Europe and the US, 4 GB data - 40 €

Package will auto-renew after 28 days if there is enough credit. All internet options with TIM can only be activated and deactivated online or by calling 40916 or 119. For more data, you can add another 1 GB for 5 € or 2 GB for 10 €.

Data-only SIM

Activation of a new data SIM is 3 €, to activate the options below on a existing data SIM, they charge 5 €. You can activate it online, but better do it in a TIM store.

Data package	Price	Data Volume	Max. Speed	Validity Period
Internet Start	10 €	2 GB	100 Mbps	28 days
Internet Large	20 €	5 GB	100 Mbps	28 days
Internet XL	30 €	10 GB	100 Mbps	28 days
Promotion (only for foreigners):
Internet Extra	5 €	1 GB	42 Mbps	30 days
International 10 GB	15 €	10 GB	42 Mbps	30 days
International 3 GB	20 €	3 GB/month	42 Mbps	6 months

The promotional tariffs are only available to foreigners with valid ID, but data is for Italy only. No activation fee is charged for Internet Extra, 3 € for International plus 10 € for the SIM card.

Tourist SIM

For the tourists TIM released two SIM cards that they call TIM Welcome:

• TIM Welcome: for 20 € (+ 10 € for the SIM card incl. 5 € credit), 200 minutes for calls and 2 GB of data in 30 days (link to offer)
• TIM Welcome Internet: for 20 € (+ 10 € SIM card incl. 5 € credit), no calls but 5 GB of data in 30 days (link to offer)

Calls are domestic and international to 57 countries (for list click on Paesi TIM Welcome), data is on 3G and will be throttled to 32 Kbps after exceeding quota. No upsize or extensions possible.

EU Roaming offer

TIM Inviaggio Pass: 300 minutes voice, 300 SMS and 500 MB data in one week in all countries of Europe and USA on all voice & data SIMs for 15 EUR. This option can be activated by texting "TIMPASS ON" to 40916 to all of their SIM cards. This is one of the cheapest roaming options in Europe right now.

Technical settings

• some VoIP clients like Skype and Viber are blocked on some tariffs

• APN: ibox.tim.it

3 (Tre)

3 (spoken: Tre) is Italy's smallest network, but it has already covered 4,900 (of more than 8,100) municipalties by high-speed 3G (up to 42 Mbps) reaching 96% of population. In 2014 they were given frequencies in the 900 Mhz band to reach another 2.500 municipalities at a reduced bandwith (21 Mbps instead of 42 Mbps). So 3G coverage is still limited in the countryside but can be quite fast in the cities. They have national free roaming on TIM network for calls and texts, but not for data (for costly 60 cent per MB - see Technical Settings). Tre 3G/4G coverage map.

4G/LTE reaches already about 47% of population in 1100 municipalities growing fast. They plan to merge with the Wind network in the upcoming years.

Voice and data SIM

Their prepaid base tariff without addons is called "Power15".

Default data rate for new activations is 20 ct per 20 MB (15 ct per minute, 15 ct per SMS).

• Online or by phone you can buy the only data add-on called "Super Internet" giving you 3 GB high speed data per month up to 100 Mbps on 4G for 5 EUR. If you link your SIM to a credit card with a 30 months contract, they will give you 4 GB for 5 EUR.

Furthermore, they offer these combined packages:

Package	Price	Dom. Calls	Dom. SMS	Data Volume	Max. Speed	Validity Period
ALL-IN 200	10 €	200 mins	200	2 GB **	100 Mbps	30 days
ALL-IN 400	12 €	400 mins	400	2 GB **	100 Mbps	30 days
ALL-IN 800	14 €	800 mins	800	2 GB **	100 Mbps	30 days

Note that ALL-IN packages doesn't require a minimum initial top-up although many 3Stores tell you so. All rates are discounted by 2 €, if you link it to a credit card in a 30 months contract,

** The 2 GB data volume per month in ALL-IN packs is actually limited to 500 MB per week.

Data-only SIM

Their data-only SIM is aimed at tablets and modems. It comes in a time- and a volume-based rate:

• Time-based: 'Super Web Time': Default rate: 0.90 € per hour on Tre network, 0.60 € per MB in national roaming on TIM. You can add the SuperWeb.100 package (see below).
• Volume-based: 'Super Web New': Default rate: 0.50 € per 100 MB on Tre network, 0.60 € per MB in national roaming on TIM. You can add one of the SuperInternet packages (see below).

Activation of a new SIM card is free. If you want to activate the packages on an existing SIM card, Tre charges 9 €. Although tethering is not contractually allowed, it works without surcharge.

Package	Price	Data Volume	Max. Speed	Validity Period
SuperInternet 3GB	5 €	3 GB	100 Mbps	30 days
SuperInternet 8GB	10€	8 GB **	100 Mbps	30 days
SuperWeb.100	15 €	100 hrs *	42 Mbps	30 days

* According to users, connection will be throttled in both download and upload speeds unconditionally of time expiration, if used with high data streams

** Data volume is actually limited to 2 GB per week

Tourist SIM

Like the other providers Tre offers these tourists SIM cards called ALL-IN Explorer in a promotion at least until the end of 2015. These SIM cards are sold in Tre stores (designated 3 stores for tourist offer). 

Package	Price	Data Volume	Validity Period
ALL-IN Explorer Week	20 €	10 GB	7 days
ALL-IN Explorer Month	40 €	20 GB	30 days

Max. speed on 4G/LTE where available is 100 Mbps.

Roaming Packages

Tre also offers cheap roaming to some other countries:

• 3 EasyPass: Use your Italian data package on the Three networks of Austria, Denmark, UK, Hong Kong, Ireland and Sweden for 0.30 € per data session (defined as one continuous connection up to 6 hours). Be careful: dropping coverage and reconnecting counts as a seperate session. So with a spotty 3 network (which is not unlikely), this can add up considerably.

• EasyPass: 2 €: 200 minutes and 500 MB data per week all over the EU incl. Switzerland, as well as Israel, Australia, the US, Canada, China, Hong Kong (when not on 3), and Sri Lanka. The same 0.30 € per session connection fee applies on top, so if you'll be somewhere with spotty signal, consider other options.

If only 3 EasyPass is activated, dropping off the local Three network will cost the standard data roaming rate and not just the 2 € EasyPass charge for 500 MB. Within the EU, this means being charged 0.24 €/MB, in Hong Kong 1 €/MB. When using 3 EasyPass, it's recommended to manually select Three to avoid this. Both passes need to be activated by calling 4040 from Tre in Italy, +39 393 393 4077 from out of Italy or better in your online account (Area Clienti) or by app.

Availability

• online to be sent to an Italian postal address
• in 3stores (store locator)
• Voice SIM card costs 20 € start-up price. When ordered online, it will be sent with the same credit on. In 3stores, they may charge you around 5 € for activation.

• combined mini-/micro-SIMs are available, nano SIMs are available too

Technical settings

• APN: tre.it
• Take care: Due to the roaming agreement with TIM ensure you have data roaming disabled or select 3G-only mode (for iOS users: make a manual network selection for "3 ITA" and lock on it). By automatic selection you risk roaming on TIM. This gives you a better coverage, but can lead to high surcharges for data unless you can disable data roaming (see rates).

Vodafone

Vodafone is Italy's second network. 4G/LTE covers already more than 5,000 municipalities or 89 % of the population and is available for a surchage: Vodafone 4G map.

Their SIM is free, but you have to top up right away and book a package. Store Locator

Voice and data SIM

Vodafone's prepaid line is called Flexi. There are two base packages, valid for 28 days:

• Flexi Start: with 400 domestic minutes, 100 dom. SMS, 100 MB data for 10 €
• Flexi Maxi: with 1000 domestic minutes, 200 dom. SMS, 100 MB data for 15 €

Data can be added like this:

• 1 GB: plus 5 €
• 2 GB: plus 10 €
• 3 GB: plus 14 €
• 5 GB: plus 19 €

Activation can be made online or by calling 42070. Base rate and data package will auto-renew after 28 days. When data is used up, you will be on the default rate of 2 € per day for 200 MB or you can buy another data package ahead of time.

Data-only SIM

They offer these classical prepaid plans for modems and tablets in 4G/LTE:

Data Package	Price	Data Volume	Validity Period
Giga Start	10 €	2.5 GB	28 days
Giga Extra	20 €	5 GB	28 days
Giga Maxi	30 €	10 GB	28 days

As alternative Vodafone offers their Solo Online offer, 5 GB (currently promoted at 7 GB) for 10 € and their Giga Extra and Maxi offers with double data 20 € for 10 GB and 30 € for 20 GB. But take care that this offers involves a contract with a monthly fee which is directly charged to your credit card, and is not on prepaid! This contract can be suspended anytime online and does not involve a long-term engagement.

Speed is up to 100 MB/s in 4G. Tethering costs 6 € per day extra. Take care to buy either a prepaid (= ricaricabile) or a contract (= abbonamento) SIM.

EU roaming offer

As an add-on Vodafone offers one of the cheapest roaming options in Europe: Internet Passport. For 6 € per day (based on Italian time), you get up to 1 GB data in all of the EU/EEA plus Switzerland and Turkey. You only pay on these days, when you access the internet. This option is preconfigured and activates automatically in a roaming country. Beyond 1 GB per day, speed will be throttled to 32 Kbps. Make sure you set APN: web.omnitel.it in roaming. If you set iphone.vodafone.it or mobile.vodafone.it all money will be gone in a few minutes! To check balance and data remains open in browser http://contatori.vodafone.it/.

Tourist SIM

Like the other providers, Vodafone released at SIM card aimed at visitors. It is called Vodafone Holiday and is sold for 30 € (or 19 € if you already have a Vodafone Italia SIM card activated). Included are 300 minutes voice domestic and to 43 countries (for list click Scopri i Paesi inclusi nell'offerta), 300 SMS domestic and to these countries and 2 GB of data valid for 28 days.

Data is on 4G/LTE too and will be cut off when quota is exceeded. The package renews automatically after 28 days if you have loaded another 29 €.

Availability

• at Vodafone stores: store locator
• online to be sent to an Italian postal address

Technical info

• mini-, micro-, nano-SIM available
• VoIP allowed
• tethering not allowed (and for 5 EUR extra on data SIMs)
• APN: mobile.vodafone.it

Wind

Wind has a big variety of volume based packages. It sells a lot of rates including domestic calls, texts and internet at very good rates, but their network is smaller compared to TIM and Vodafone. They plan to merge with 3 (Tre) in some years.

Wind is the only provider in Italy giving out 4G/LTE up to 150 Mbps without any surcharge to all of its plans and packages. However their LTE network is rather limited to about 100 cities so far, which are mentioned here: Wind Coverage Checker

Voice and data SIM

They sell a lot of different tariff lines for voice. Only two don't have a monthly base rate: "Wind 1" has lower voice rates, but default data rate is 0.24 €/MB. "Wind al secondo" has higher voice rates but the daily rate for data (see data SIM below).

These data packages can be added online on your account or by code:

• + Internet No Stop: 1 GB, 28 days - 5 €
• + Internet No Stop Large: 2 GB, 28 days - 7.5 €

Overuse will be throttled to 32 Kbps. All packages auto-renew after 28 days, if there is enough credit. To stop, deactivate them on your account.

Data-only SIM

The default rate for all data-only prepaid cards of Wind is the daily rate of 4 €. You get max. 500 MB at high speed, then throttled to 32 kbps on one calendar day (0.00-23:59 hrs). These packs can be added (for a 5 € activation fee):

• Open Internet: 28 days, 4 GB - 10 €
• Open Internet: 28 days, 8 GB - 18 €

The packages can be booked by texting '4GIGA SI' or '8GIGA SI' to 4033. They can be renewed ahead of time by texting RESTART <pack size> SI to 4033. Otherwise speed will be throttled to 32 Kbps. Packages renew automatically after 28 days and can be stopped by texting '4 GIGA NO' or '8 GIGA NO' to 4033.

The SIM card activation costs 5 € in WIND shops Wind Store Locator . Top-up cards can be purchased in tobacco stores for 5€, 10€, 15€, etc. Text "Saldo" to 4155 to get balance and "Dati" to get data credit.

Tourist SIM

Finally Wind also released a SIM card aimed at tourists in two different tariff lines:

• Italy Tourist Pass: 20 € - including 100 minutes voice domestic and to 40 countries (list in the middle [1]) and 2 GB of data valid for 28 days. You can restart this package for more or longer volume by texting TOURIST ITZ RESTART to 4033 for 10 €.
• Tourist Pass Data: 30 € - including 4 GB of data and 5 € credit valid for 28 days. This pack can be extended by a restart for 25 € by texting TOURIST DATA RESTART to 4033.

Technical info

• APN: internet.wind
• Tethering is allowed
• VoIP is officially not allowed, but not blocked.

coop voce

coop voce is a MVNO using the good TIM network. It is sold by Italy's biggest supermarket chain "coop" in all their stores nationwide: coop store locator

The SIM card is sold for 5 € with 250 national minutes. Choose one tariif without base rate like "superfacile" or "veloce". Topups can be made at coop shops or online after registration even with foreign credit cards in increments of 5 €.

Data packages

• Web 1 GB senza limiti: 8 €, 1 GB, 1 month, activation: SI 1 GB
• Web 2 GB senza limiti: 10 €, 2 GB, 1 month, activation: SI 2 GB
• Web 5 GB senza limiti: 14 €, 5 GB, 1 month, activation: SI 5 GB
• Web No limiti: 18 €, 10 GB, 1 month , activation: SI NO LIMITI
• Web 30 ore: 12 €, 30 hours, activation: SI 30 ORE

For activation, simply text code to 4243688. Check data credit by texting INTERNET to 4243688. When you have used all data, you can buy another package ahead of time by calling 188. Each package will automatically renew after one month, if there is credit. If not, the pack will be terminated. The SIM stays valid for 25 months.

• APN: web.coopvoce.it

Poste mobile

Poste mobile is the MVNO of Italian Mail (Posteitaliane) which used to operate on Vodafone. In 2014 they switched over to the rather limited Wind network on 2G and 3G, in November 2015 4G/LTE was opened for some tariffs.

This SIM can be bought theoretically in every postal office in Italy and the postal agencies called "ki point" for 10 €, but they are probably easier to find in the central post offices where they have a phone corner. List

Anyway, all post offices and agencies accept top-ups or you can do that online after registration using a credit card.

Regular packages (2G/3G only)

Their regular tariff line is called PosteMobile UNICA new. Base rate is their Tarifa base gionaliera = daily base rate, when no other package is booked: 250 MB for 2.52 € per calender day (0.00-23.59 hrs). For monthly data, these two data packages are offered:

• 1 GB, 1 month, 7.50 €, activation: text 'SI Giga' to 4071160

• 3 GB, 1 month, 9.90 €, activation: text 'SI 3GB' to 4071160

Overuse is charged by 0.55 € per MB and no way to upsize it. All packages will renew automatically after 1 month, unless stopped by replacing SI by NO in the deactivation code.

Combined packages: Creami Giga Turbo (on 4G/LTE too)

A new tariff line is introduced with Creami (= create me) which has been opened to 4G/LTE. It contains a number of credits, that can be used for domestic calls, texts or data and an additional data allowance per month. 1 unit is 1 minute or 1 SMS or 1 MB.

• 10 €: 1000 credits and 1 GB data
• 15 €: 2000 credits and 2 GB data
• 20 €: 3000 credits and 3 GB data

All packages auto-renew after one month, if there is enough credit. You can change between the packages every month for a 8 € fee by calling 160 customer service.

• APN: internet.postemobile.it /or/ wap.postemobile.it

Fastweb

Fastweb is an Italian MVNO specialising in Triple Play and Broadband Services. It has been bought by Swisscom. In Italy it operates on the networks of 3 (Tre) in 3G and TIM in 2G.

Their SIM card is sold at their sales outlets: Fastweb Store Locator. There you can reload too. They have these product lines:

• Simpati: efault data rate is 0.20 € on 3G (Tre) and 0.30 € on 2G (TIM) and no packages to add

• Mobile Fuel 2 GB: 300 domestic minutes, 300 dom. texts, 2 GB data in 1 month: 10 €
• Sprintweb: 1 GB, 1 month, 5 €
• GigaWeb: 5 GB per month, for 3 months, total 30 € (for all three months)

Note: Speed will be throttled to 64 kbps beyond data limit. The packages are only on the 3G network of Tre, not on 2G of TIM, where default tariff applies. So disable automatic network selection (see Tre).

• APN: apn.fastweb.it

Lycamobile

Lycamobile is an UK-based MVNO which started its operations in Italy in summer of 2014 and is already the 2nd most popular MVNO in the country by customer numbers. It operates on the network of Vodafone in 2G and 3G only (for coverage see above).

Their SIM cards are sold for free in their outlets like Carrefour hypermarkets Lycamobile store locator. Top-ups must be done right away there, at Coop and Pam supermarkets. To find more shops for reloads click "Ricarica" on the store locator link.

Default data rate is 0.18 € per MB. They offer these two monthly packages:

• 1 GB: 5 €, activation: *139*1001#
• 2 GB: 8.50 €, activation: *139*1002#

This package will autorenew every month if there is credit. To stop, call customer service at 40322. You can add extra data, valid for the rest of the running time of the base package:

• 1 GB: 4 €, activation: *139*10011#
• 2 GB: 6 €, activation: *139*10022#

In many countries Lycamobile actively prevents tethering.

• APN: data.lycamobile.it
• Username: lmit (that's lowercase L, not capital i)
• Password: plus

Ringo Mobile

Ringo Mobile by Noverca and ICS is a MVNO on the good TIM network in 2G and 3G only, no 4G/LTE so far. It has started in September 2015 and claims to be the first "multi-ethnic" MVNO of Italy. At least it has an English website.

Availability

Their starter pack is available at very few own Ringo stores and some more points of sale (locator, for points of sale check box) for 8 € with 5 € preloaded credit.

Top-ups can be made online by internatl. credit card or PayPal 5-100 € or by vouchers sold at their outlets. To top up type *135*9911*<voucher PIN># and to check credit *123#. SIM card and credit stays valid for 12 months after the last recharge.

Data packages

All allowances (domestic voice, texts and data) can be customized on your account. You can change or reset any package month by month. If you don't change, the same package will be charged again when you have enough credit on your balance.

Data outside of packages by default is a very low 1ct per MB. They offer these monthly packages for domestic data:

• 1 GB: 5 €
• 2.5 GB: 10 €
• 5 GB: 20 €
• 10 GB: 30 €

Their APN is not verified but likely: web.noverca.it but configuration can be sent from here.

• Website in English: http://www.ringomobile.it/en