Telestial & TIM data plan question

[DRNewcomb]

Originally Posted by sastimac

One real possibility is to use my US T-Mobile number for the sync-up ($1.50/minute), then insert the local TIM card and continue on.

You could get the SIM at the airport and send a text message. Also, there are something like 500 WiFi hotspots at the Rome airport.

I am sure that there are many good reasons why someone needs to pay the premium to have a number before departure, rather than within 45 minutes of arrival. One I can think of is if you are arriving by ship and would like to be able to call while you are still offshore. It's sort of like feeling that you have to exchange dollars for Euros at the high priced kiosks at US airports. You can certainly get Euros from the ATMs on arrival but for some people that's not soon enough. I'm just trying to give you options.