Help with calling Italy..
 

For some reason I just don't get the concept of dialing overseas..Here is is the number I need to reach, can some please tell me how to dila this correctly? Thanks a bunch.
Italy (39)
02 70 399 700

this is exactly how you would dial when you pick up your telephone:

011 39 02 70 399 700

thanks for making that so easy Beth.. that was so easy...

Hi Gary,

If you dial
1016868 011 39 02 70 399 700
it will cost only 10 cents/min.

Thanks Ira, what a great price...

For Gary and Ira

I've often used dial around numbers when planning a trip to Europe and have come to realize that the rate and terms change frequently. For example, it looks like 10 16 868 is now 15 cents/minute, while Everdial/Primus is 9 cents/minute.

Check it out at: http://10-10phonerates.com/international.php

No one explained the numbers you are dialing, including the 011. Might make it easier for you to dial out of the US next time if you understand.

The 011 is the set of numbers you would dial to call countries outside the US. I'm living in England at the moment, and my parents, who live in Arkansas, dial 011 to call me. We lived in Belgium for a while - my folks had to dial 011 to call me there, too. 011 just allows your call to leave the US.

39 is Italy's country code. All countries have them. The country code for Belgium is 32....the country code for England is 44.

The 02 70 399 700 is the number of the person/place you are calling. I'm not sure how Italy divides up their numbers, but countries usually, if not always, have area codes just like we do in the US. Therefore, the first few numbers are the equivalent of an area code, i.e. 02 or 0270.

If I've guessed the division of the numbers correctly, then 399 700 is the actual phone number itself.

I had a hard time dialing international calls too, until I understood what the numbers meant. Hopefully this hasn't made it even muddier for you!

Interesting site, but it doesn't list the number I've been using -- 101-6400 which is supposed to be 4.9 cents per minute. I guess I won't really know until I get my next phone bill and see the three or four UK calls I've done with that number. But I made one direct dial to the UK for about a four minute call and it was over $12.00 on my bill -- thank you ATT.

I'll add just this one note to Brimham's good explanation.

You will sometimes see (especially outside the US) a telephone number that starts with "+" or "++". That is universally understod to mean "whatever you need to do in the country you are in - - to get an overseas line" - - in the US, "011" in other words. But something quite different in other countries.

Best wishes,

Rex

Oh geez, my parents live in Louisiana. My IN LAWS live in Arkansas. Ding ding ding ding!! I told you it had been a long day! LOL

OK, I give up. Total brain failure. Must______crawl_______into______bed. I didn't say on THIS thread that it had been a long day....I said it on ANOTHER thread. Good grief, lol.

I've been told (I just used it this week) that 1010297 is cheap, with a 39 cents connection fee, and 3 cents a minute.

I have never tried 1010297, because i am scared to be slammed ...It is a reliable company?
At this moment I have SBC and pay 17 cents a minute to call Europe.
Not very much..But when I call my sister in Provence, we usually talks more than 1 hour...and this is about once a week.
This is for the people that uses 1010297, do you have any problems when you receive the bill?
We hear so much about people being slammed by tel. company..
Waiting for your replys.
Thanks,'
kismet

Kismet, go to the URL in my message above, where I think you'll find a less expensive alternative to SBC. I've found the dial around numbers to be very reliable, but you need to read the fine print re the charges.

Hi all,

Yup, Italy is now $0.15/min to Italy.

1010297 (Vartec) charges a $1/month fee.

http://1010phonerates.com/ is the place to compare rates.

This is the number of Europcar reservation centre. It worked for me.

To Rex: "+" is not just a symbolic replacement for the international prefix, but actually is the international prefix in the GSM world. As an example, with a GSM telephone, the number suggested by Garynfla would be +390270399700

kr

Thanks Betsy for the info....:)

This site was suggested to me

http://10-10phonerates.com/

and I signed up this morning for the dial around plan from

www.everdial.com

Looks like I have to wait 24 hrs though for my number to register in the system or something in order to use for calling Italy. Domestic calls can be made right away I think for the dial around plan.

I was going to sign up for one of the mobile plans but something has come up about using the cell plan FROM within Italy so I need to talk to a rep and it isn't open yet. I need to find out if the mobile plan can be used FROM Italy.

My Cingular international service is very expensive. I was going to just buy the chip in Italy to put in my phone but I thought I would check out this other option. Has anyone any experience with this?

When I spoke to the rep it was the rep for the everdial 1 service and it wasn't the right rep so I have to call back.