# Italain Sim Cards



## RachelGiada (Aug 8, 2010)

I will soon be heading off to Italy to apply for my citizenship, i am curious about which sim card company to use? Also apps such as WhatsAPP, Skype, Facebook Messenger, of those three which one would be best to use for making international calls, free of course via Wifi?

Thought, suggestions etc

Thanks much
Rachel


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## GeordieBorn (Jul 15, 2016)

It will depend on exactly where you are located and how you intend to connect. For the first i.e. location, where we are is very hilly and in many a place you can get adequate if not good access in one part of a 3k road and hardly at all 100m away. In the 6 years we have been here using mobile wifi it has improved with less dropping out and better speed, however despite a speedtest just now telling me I have 10-11 mbps (2-3 upload), it is often less than a tenth of that. We use Skype now and then and most of the time it is okay, but occasionally we have to hang up and call back. Best way to find an operator for a fixed location is to be there and see what mobile access you get. If you intend to be on the move then TIM and Wind are likely to have the best cover, some say Vodafone as well, but I’ve never connected via them here… Not too sure I can post links to it here, so look up prepaidGSM and go to the Italy bit to get an idea of how things differ greatly here in Italy!


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## RachelGiada (Aug 8, 2010)

Thanks for the reply Geordie, I'll be staying in Vasto, CH. on the Adriatic coast. Oh i expect to have a variety of signal strengths and maybe even no signal. Where i live now my phone signal is lousy here in the USA lol so i am somewhat accustomed to signal strength, quality etc.


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## GeordieBorn (Jul 15, 2016)

In which case "Tre" may also be an option and I would guess access will be good with a number of companies, perhaps even 4g. I would suggest, at least until you get settled, you go for a "pay as you go" , I gather not many Italians even get tied into a contract here as they are hell to get out of.


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

If you're coming to Vasto TIM is mainly 4G. Wind has some 4G. Vodafone should be mostly 4G. At worst in the city you'll be getting 3G.

I wouldn't worry about coverage in the city. Just see who has the best offer when you arrive.


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## nanana (Jul 30, 2016)

Hi, I was born near Vasto and I'm in the field of telecommunications. 

Tim and Vodafone have the most extensive 4g coverage and they have the highest tower density. Expect 4g coverage also in some hills and villages around Vasto. They always score above the others in connection benchmarks. 

Tre has generally good performances, however their 4g coverage is more limited (main towns, as Vasto, Lanciano, ...). They have generally acceptable ad fast 3g coverage. However, they rely on TIM EDGE network in areas where they have no direct coverage. Only selected (and more expensive) plans allow you to use data on TIM as well. 

Wind has the most outdated network. While in Vasto they have 4g, in the nearby Lanciano their 4g coverage is still very very limited. Their 3g is congested. 


You can check coverage maps of the four major providers on their respective websites. 

Tre is often the cheapest, I use it during the few weeks I'm in the area, and works fine VoIP/Skype. I have one of their basic cheap plan, so when I'm with TIM edge coverage, I have no connectivity at all. Sometimes they charge randomly for value-added services, so in case you pick them, make sure you require total blocking of value added services (blocco dei servizi a sovrapprezzo). 

TIM sometimes has VoIP/Skype.. limitations on some of the cheapest plans. I regularly call a person with a VoIP limited TIM plan, and 90% of times it works fine. There are a few times when they block VoIP traffic, and that makes Whatsapp calls/skype totally unusable. 

I have no idea about Vodafone. 

I would also suggest you to buy a pay as you go card (ricaricabile). Stay out of wind. Test the coverage and VoIP with your provider. If you have problems with your phone company, it is really easy to switch. Just go to a different phone company shop and subscribe another plan. Your old phone number is generally transferred in around 2 days, and If you explicitly require it, they also transfer your prepaid credit.


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## Italia-Mx (Jan 14, 2009)

I use a Wind pay as you go card. Works absolutely fine. I've been with Wind since I came to Italy 16 years ago. Have never had a problem with my service anywhere in Abruzzo.


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## nanana (Jul 30, 2016)

Italia-Mx said:


> I use a Wind pay as you go card. Works absolutely fine. I've been with Wind since I came to Italy 16 years ago. Have never had a problem with my service anywhere in Abruzzo.


I used a Wind card in Abruzzo for many years. While their general coverage and voice service are nice, their mobile internet lags behind all the competitors. Their 4g coverage and capacity are very limited. 

From my user perspective, I remember that page loads and responsiveness were significantly slower. I also know where all providers have their base stations, and in some towns in Abruzzo wind simply has half the number of stations with respect to Tim/Vodafone. Therefore their network is always congested. Tre has fewer stations as well, but also much less customers, so their data service generally works fine. 

The national communications authority (AGCOM) did extensive comparative benchmarks for mobile internet performance in 2014 and Wind was the bottom one almost everywhere in Italy. I cannot post the link yet as I'm a new user. 

Since RachelGiada is planning to use VoIP services (as skype, whatsapp), I would recommend networks with better data performance. 

Of course, there are specific places where one network works best, since each one has a different coverage and different tower locations.


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

Wind and Tre are merging. 

2014 was a long time ago. I don't even remember if Wind had turned on it's 4G in the Vasto area then. 

There are parts of the province that Vodafone is still running Edge networks but you get 4G with Wind. 

The bigger question is what you get inside. I've seen houses that you're lucky to get one provider. 

Having said the above unless you're house bound you'll be moving around . 

If she's staying awhile and needs data getting DSL or fibre would make the most sense. The providers have packages that include mobile service. It doesn't end up that much more expensive


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## GeordieBorn (Jul 15, 2016)

For me too WIND has been fine, TIM not so good. But as has been said check it out when you are here, for us it's likely WIND simply has a nearer station. If you have a decent unlocked smart phone or dongle, then it makes little difference as with most companies you can get a monthly PAYG deal. If it's no good or you want to try for better, then swap deals. We bought a Huawei E5377 from Amazon, but could use the Samsung s4 just as easy. Just make sure the deal(s) let you teather/hotspot. From what has been said I gather you will find no problem at all getting decent (for Italy) on-line access...


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## nanana (Jul 30, 2016)

NickZ said:


> If she's staying awhile and needs data getting DSL or fibre would make the most sense. The providers have packages that include mobile service. It doesn't end up that much more expensive


Fiber (VDSL) is being rolled out by TIM in Vasto in these months. It should be available to customers around this fall. If you need normal DSL, go for Infostrada (Wind). They have direct coverage in Vasto, it works fine and it is cheap. 

Concerning calling apps, I regularly use whatsapp. It works better than others when callers don't have an excellent connection. It also uses really few data. 

In case you need to call regular phones abroad, use mobilevoip app. You can use it with voipbuster. With 10 bucks you get 4 months of free calls to many countries (including US), and afterwards you still have your 10 bucks fore more calls (that are priced around 1c/min).


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