Need to make phone calls in Italy and abroad? Forget expensive roaming fees and simply get a phone number SIM Card upon your arrival in Florence. Sure you have to stay at least a month but buying a phone number in Italy is very inexpensive.
Will your phone work in Italy?
If its the case of a smartphone running Android or Iphone or Windows Mobile bought in the recent years 2o11 + most probably yes. If you have an old phone you need to check your model / carrier and see if it supports Tri or Quad band. If it doesn’t and you are staying for quite some time evaluate buying a used phone you can find cheap bargain all over the Internet and in Florence.
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Which are the main phone companies in Italy?
1) Tim is the first company that introduced mobile plans back in the early 90’s (forgive accuracy in timing) they offer solid plans for both phone calls and mobile data.
2) Vodafone is another large international company operating in the Italian market good coverage and good prices.
3) 3G has always offered really good Internet and Data plans, make sure you check out one of their store and find out if they have suitable plans.
4) Wind is another company good on phone call plans, once again tariffs change monthly if not weekly check the site via the links above to see updated charts on tafiffes
I suggest to go for a pre-paid plan as plan on subscription are more binding on the long term.
Can I use 3g data in Italy to navigate on mobile?
Most of the pre-paid plans come with a basic data usage plan that you can refill, be sure to ask in the store to activate a plan as credit can consume up quickly without an active promotion.
Where do you go and buy a phone once in Florence?
Florence, like the rest of the world is packed with stores from the four brands mentioned above, you can find many around the train station, many around the Duomo, Santa Croce and so on. Don’t be afraid in the city center staff always speak English and willing to help you with your need.
A resource for understanding and choosing the best rates?
Updating this article I found a good resource for getting a grasp of the current offers, check out for Mobile http://www.sostariffe.it/tariffe-cellulari/ & Internet Data http://www.sostariffe.it/confronto-offerte-internet-mobile/ (site is in Italian but not hard to figure out)
Will I need a land line during my stay?
Most properties don’t have a land line phone installed and nor you’ll need it with current technologies like Skype, Line, Whatsup, Email the need to have a land line phone are practically minimal.
Photos Credit /ywds/ as well as Tim, Vodafone, 3 and Wind.