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-   -   call phones (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/call-phones-967616/)

ssvw27 Feb 20th, 2013 08:41 AM

call phones
 
can anyone tell me what i have to do to get cell phone operation in Italy? don't want to call home, just within Italy
Thanks

ssvw27 Feb 20th, 2013 09:41 AM

opps meant cell phone, of course

Ackislander Feb 20th, 2013 12:02 PM

It depends. It is complicated.

Go to the search window at the upper right hand corner of this page and do "cell phone Italy" or "iPhone Italy" (it makes a difference).

It is very, very expensive to do data from a US plan, so you will want to get this right. However, the issue has been covered so many times on this forum that you might as well get the basics down and come back with specifics.

StCirq Feb 20th, 2013 04:47 PM

Buy an unlocked GMS phone on e-bay ($30 maybe). Go to Italy. Get an Italian SIm card. Good to go.

Or go to Italy, walk into a TIM store, buy a phone and go.

hollywoodsc Feb 22nd, 2013 03:13 PM

Exactly what StCirq said.
If your phone is already unlocked, simply buy a SIM card when you get to Italy and swap it out for the existing one.

You can Google 'unlock phone' to do yours before you go. Cost me about $9 online for the code to unlock my Blackberry. Took 5 minutes, easy.

At the TIM store in Florence I paid 20 Euros and got an Italian SIM card, 100 minutes talk/text, free internet. It was worth the internet alone!


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