ITALY
| Useful things to know: |
| Prefix: |
+39 |
|
| Money: |
Euro |
| Electricity: |
230V - 50Hz |
| Time Zone: |
GMT+1 (CET) |
GSM and 3G Operators
| Telecom Italia Mobile |
 |
Prepaid Card Name: |
No specific name |
| Activation Fee/Credit included: |
€ 10.00/5.00 |
| Card Validity after activation: |
12+1 months |
| Net Frequency: |
GSM 900/1800, W-CDMA 2100, LTE 800/1800/2100/2600 |
| Logo, Net Code: |
I TIM, 222 01 |
| Coverage Map: |
official site |
| Prepaid offer: |
click here |
| Last update: |
27/08/14 |
| Vodafone Omnitel N.V. |
 |
Prepaid Card Name: |
No specific name |
| Activation Fee/Credit included: |
€ 10.00/5.00 |
| Card Validity after activation: |
11+1 months |
| Net Frequency: |
GSM 900/1800, W-CDMA 2100, LTE 800/1800/2100/2600 |
| Logo, Net Code: |
vodafone IT, I OMNI, 222 10 |
| Coverage Map: |
official site |
| Prepaid offer: |
click here |
| Last update: |
27/08/14 |
| Wind Telecomunicazioni S.p.A. |
 |
Prepaid Card Name: |
No specific name |
| Activation Fee/Credit included: |
€ 10.00/5.00 |
| Card Validity after activation: |
12 months |
| Net Frequency: |
GSM 900/1800, W-CDMA 900/2100, LTE 800/1800/2100/2600 |
| Logo, Net Code: |
I Wind, 222 88 |
| Coverage Map: |
official site |
| Prepaid offer: |
click here |
| Last update: |
27/08/14 |
| Hutchison 3G Italia S.p.A. |
 |
Prepaid Card Name: |
Ricaricabile |
| Activation Fee/Credit included: |
€ 10.00/3.00 |
| Card Validity after activation: |
12 months |
| Net Frequency: |
W-CDMA 900/2100, LTE 1800/2100/2600 (plus GSM roaming on TIM) |
| Logo, Net Code: |
3 ITA, 222 99 |
| Coverage Map: |
official site |
| Prepaid offer: |
click here |
| Last update: |
27/08/14 |
Virtual Operators
There are no "real MVNOs" in Italy, except Poste Mobile, but just ESP, i.e. service providers closely linked to the network operators.
| COOP Italia (CoopVoce) |
 |
Prepaid Card Name: |
No specific name |
| Activation Fee/Credit included: |
€ 5.00/5.00 |
| Card Validity after activation: |
24+1 months |
| Net Frequency: |
MVNO on GSM 900/1800, W-CDMA 2100 |
| Logo, Net Code: |
COOP, 222 01 |
| Network: |
TIM |
| Prepaid offer: |
click here |
| Last update: |
28/08/14 |
| Tiscali Mobile |
 |
Prepaid Card Name: |
No specific name |
| Activation Fee/Credit included: |
€ 20.00/20.00 |
| Card Validity after activation: |
12+1 months |
| Net Frequency: |
MVNO on GSM 900/1800, W-CDMA 2100 |
| Logo, Net Code: |
tiscali.mobile, 222 01 |
| Network: |
TIM |
| Prepaid offer: |
click here |
| Last update: |
28/08/14 |
| Poste Mobile |
 |
Prepaid Card Name: |
Poste Mobile |
| Activation Fee/Credit included: |
€ 15.00/15.00 |
| Card Validity after activation: |
11+1 months |
| Net Frequency: |
MVNO on GSM 900/1800, W-CDMA 2100 (HSDPA) |
| Logo, Net Code: |
Poste Mobile, 222 88 |
| Network: |
Wind |
| Prepaid offer: |
click here |
| Last update: |
25/01/12 |
| ERG Mobile |
 |
Prepaid Card Name: |
ERG Mobile |
| Activation Fee/Credit included: |
€ 5.00/5.00 |
| Card Validity after activation: |
11+1 months |
| Net Frequency: |
MVNO on GSM 900/1800, W-CDMA 2100 |
| Logo, Net Code: |
ERG Mobile, 222 10 |
| Network: |
Vodafone |
| Prepaid offer: |
click here |
| Last update: |
12/01/12 |
| Carrefour Italia (UNO Mobile) |
 |
Prepaid Card Name: |
UNO Mobile |
| Activation Fee/Credit included: |
€ 4.99/5.00 |
| Card Validity after activation: |
11+1 months |
| Net Frequency: |
MVNO on GSM 900/1800 |
| Logo, Net Code: |
UNO Mobile, 222 10 |
| Network: |
Vodafone |
| Prepaid offer: |
click here |
| Last update: |
29/11/12 |
| Fastweb |
 |
Prepaid Card Name: |
SimPATY |
| Activation Fee/Credit included: |
€ ??? |
| Card Validity after activation: |
??? |
| Net Frequency: |
MVNO on W-CDMA 2100 plus national roaming on TIM GSM |
| Logo, Net Code: |
Fastweb, 222 99 |
| Network: |
3 ITA |
| Prepaid offer: |
click here |
| Last update: |
28/08/14 |
"Ethnic" MVNOs
| Lycamobile S.R.L. |
 |
Prepaid Card Name: |
Lycamobile |
| Activation Fee/Credit included: |
€ 5.00/5.00 |
| Card Validity after activation: |
12+1 months |
| Net Frequency: |
MVNO on W-CDMA 2100 plus national roaming on TIM GSM |
| Logo, Net Code: |
Lycamobile, 222 99 |
| Network: |
3 ITA |
| Prepaid offer: |
click here |
| Last update: |
27/08/14 |
| BT Mobile (British Telecom) |
 |
Prepaid Card Name: |
That's My World BT Mobile Prepaid |
| Activation Fee/Credit included: |
??? |
| Card Validity after activation: |
??? |
| Net Frequency: |
MVNO on GSM 900/1800, W-CDMA 2100 |
| Logo, Net Code: |
BT mobile, 222 10 |
| Network: |
Vodafone |
| Prepaid offer: |
click here |
| Last update: |
24/01/12 |
| DIGI.Mobil Italia (RCS&RDS) |
 |
Prepaid Card Name: |
DIGI.Mobil |
| Activation Fee/Credit included: |
€ 5.00/5.00 |
| Card Validity after activation: |
6 months |
| Net Frequency: |
MVNO on W-CDMA 2100 plus national roaming on TIM GSM |
| Logo, Net Code: |
DIGI.mobil, 222 99 |
| Network: |
TIM |
| Prepaid offer: |
click here |
| Last update: |
19/01/12 |
Codice Fiscale, what's that?
In Italy you cannot buy any prepaid mobile sim-card without having a "codice fiscale". What's that?
In English it sounds like "fiscal code", it's a unique code for each person in Italy (and in theory in the World),
which identifies that person for the Italian Fiscal department. You need the CF for any registration in Italy, and it's the
same for sim-cards, both pre and postpaid. How can a foreign person buy a sim-card, so? There are 2 way a
"perfectly legal one" (and I'm not sure it works) and a "fast one". If you speak Italian
and are ready for some bureocracy go
here
and look for the closest "Agenzia delle entrate" in Italy, then go there with your passport
and you should (not sure about it) get a "legal" Codice Fiscale.
The "fast way" is much easier: go to this site,
it's in Italian, but don't worry, it's not difficult to understand, since I'll translate that for you! ;-)
Cognome: surname
Nome: name
Sesso: sex (m=male, f=female)
Comune di nascita (o Stato estero): this is the hardest thing to do! You have to write the name of your country,
but you have to do it in Italian! i.e. United States is Stati Uniti, New Zealand is Nuova Zelanda, Germany is Germania, Greece is Grecia,
and so on. You can use Babelfish to translate your country's name into
Italian, it should work.
Prov.: if you are not Italian just write EE
Data di Nascita: birthdate (giorno=day, mese=month, anno=year)
At this point you just have to click on "Calcola il tuo Codice Fiscale" and you finally have your own CF!
I suggest you to print the page and keep it with you, you shouldn't have any problem to buy a prepaid card now, and if you have, it's not
your fault, but it's some Italian dealer that cannot do his/her job well! And it happens...
BLU and IPSE2000: the future that will not be! :-(
The GSM/DCS operator Blu has stopped all its activities and its assets have been sold to TIM, Voda,
Wind and H3G: since October 2002 it is not possible to buy any prepaid card from this operator anymore. Blu customers have been
moved to Wind till the end February, when all Blu activities have been stopped.
IPSE2000 should have been Italian first 3G operator to lauch its services at the end of 2002, but
instead it's the first 3G operator to close up! Telefonica Moviles and Sonera decided to close the Italian 3G subsidiary even before
launching its services as a virtual GSM operator, no 3G network has been built, and the license has come back to the Italian Government;
probably the free frequencies will be divided among the other 4 W-CDMA operators.
