Three USB modem stick

08/11/2009 - 07:36

Twelve months ago I subscribed to Three Mobile in the UK for a USB modem stick and pay £15 in the UK per month for a 5GB useage per month. When I took out the subscription I was informed that not only could I use it in the UK but also in Italy using my 5GB allowance.....magic I thought and it did work. However Three changed the goal post in May this year and decided that if I wanted to use the modem stick in Italy I had to pay the international data charges at £1.25 per MB. I did use the modem stick last week and was only on the web for just over 2 minutes and used 1.2 MB which makes it a very expesive way of using the internet. Has anyone purchased or subscribed to Three Italy for a for an Italian Three sim card to be used in a modem stick on pay as you go basis, to work in a UK supplied Three USB modem stick.Any help on the matter would be most welcomeCiaoGlyn Stead

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Technology

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problem with 3 is that they always seem to have to use another comapnies network... and what that means is they then charge you more than the going rate... so use any other company but 3 here in Italy... tim and vodaphone seem to have pretty good coverage...although check before you buy...

yes, very true. My Mum and dad have 3 usb stick modem in Italy and they had all sorts of problems, and there are loads of locations where it actually doesn't work!I would not recommend it! Paola

Vodafone "stick" prices start at €10 per month for 1 hour per day. You can check out the various rates on their website. www.vodafone.it (Shop)

3 do not do a PAYG service - 3 is a UMTS service, and if there is no UMTS coverage it uses the TIM network. The 3 dealis 19 euros per month for 800 hours unlimited internet - 24 month contract, and miles better than tim and vodafone - but if you dont live in a decent UMTS coverd zone its waste of time and money.

Hi - Can you not buy a pay as you go dongle dongle in Italy . I am going to liguria tomorrow and am taking my netbook with me. Was hoping to buy one of these when I get there. Anyone got any info on them - would be appreciated Adri

Tim do a pay as you go key - but its not cheap.

Thanks for that - only there for 2 weeks so wil check it out

I have a three modem key (purchased in Italy) and its unlocked so i just purchased another sim (tim) and configured it with the correct apn and it works fine.What make and model is it? Have you tried using an Italian Sim Card. Pay as you go tariffs start from just 10 euro. for 30 hours. (with TIm and Vodafone)

I had exactly the same problem as you Glyn. I am going to Sardinia next week where I used to get good 3 coverage. Now I am not sure what to do. Try to buy a new SIM card for the 3 dongle or change over to Vodaphone / TIM? If you have solved your problem (or if anyone else has) it would be very helpful to know.

The TIM dongle is now apparently 69 euros, PAYG - it was 120 euros a couple of months ago.

This is my first posting. I have just returned from Northern Italy. I thought that it would be easy to get connected for mobile broadband. I was wrong as I was not aware that it is so difficult to get a PAYG dongle. The neares large town near to me Is Brescia but I am further north in Malegno.There was a Vodaphone dongle for 79 euros. I was quoted 10 euros for one hours use but that can't be right? I plan to be in Italy at four months intervals and was also informed that if the dongle is not used each month then there would be a re-connection charge of 25 euros. This sounds like a monthly contract.I have been told that the best coverage in the area is from Vodaphone and Wind. Not sure about TIM?My plan is to purchase in the U.K. an unlocked Vodaphone K3760 or Option Icon 431. They are the same just branded differently. I believe that they offer the fastest speed?The stick takes a micro SD card. My question are1/ Can I purchase a micro SD card on a PAYG tarrif in Italy?2/ What networks in Italy use the micro SD cards?3/ Is there any time limit on the data download?It would be so simple if you could just top up when needed with no time expiring after a certain date. Any help greatly appreciated. Going back at X-Mas and I really need to sort this out.

Hi. Does anyone have any further info about this? Adri, what did you buy in the end?I too have been happily using 3's '3 like home' service for the last couple of years and will sadly have to make new arrangements during our next trip to Italy, which will hopefully within the next month or so. Unfortunately, I really need good reliable access for emails, but ideally only with a PAYG plan. Does anyone have any further recommendations?Thanks!

If you just need e-mails then Blackberry is the way to go. E-mails sent and recieved abroad cost nothing extra beyond our £5 a month subscription we pay for use of the service in the UK. If we want Internet we just wait until we hit a town and use free WiFi again on the Blackberrys although we also pack a notebook for the convenience of a bigger screen/

Ok i know this is slightly different but we have BT broadband,there middle to high package. we were given a dongle Free and you get 1GB a month Free in that deal too. We were already sighned up to openzone and i believe the european one is Fon?. again with our deal this is unlimited use,but you do need to found a hotspot,which means a little planning before travelling. We were able to use our laptop free internet wifi [no dongle needed] near Salo[lake garda] as there was a hotspot near by. http://btopenzone.hotspot-directory.com/results.php

Thanks for your replies. Unfortunately I really need access to emails at home. That's my problem. Not having a landline, and being about 5km from the nearest wifi hotspot, I really hope I can find a better option than jumping in the car several times a day, or paying Three's new roaming rates (I accidentally spent over £10 in one day, via emails, a bit of googling, and posting here, due to the fact I mistakingly thought that the '3 like home' service finished the next day!). Trust Three to ruin the only good thing they had going for them! Thanks again.

I've just caught up with this thread and thought I'd let you know I very successfully used my LG Renoir phone as a modem on my pay as you go Vodafone Italia SIM card for one euro a day this summer. I was only charged when I went on line and could get up to 500MB per day. I could even go on line several times in the one day and it cost me no more. The beauty of it was I couldn't run up a huge bill because it was PAYG. It was a summer offer, but the website seems to suggest it's 2 euros a day now, so it's still pretty good and no dongle/modem stick needed.I wish I could do the same in the UK... Salutoni

I use a SIM-Card from Wind and everytime I go to Italy I activate the 100 hrs / 30 days package for 19 €. Since it's prepaid, I just recharge the SIM before going to Italy (www.rechargemysim.net) and activate the data option for 30 days via SMS. My area is covered with HDSPA, therefore I have almost DSL speed.

Hi Just got an internet dongle from tim.......E99.99 for twelve months max use 40hours a month Ideal for regular short visits. ciao chris

I am absolutely hopeless at understanding about things like this!! I would like to take a netbook with me to Italy when I visit, say every couple of months or so. I want to be able to access emails and do a bit of 'surfing' generally on the internet. There is no telephone line in our house, what would be the best and cheapest way of getting internet? (in idiot proof language!) No idea what a dongle does, where or what to buy etc Italy or UK????? Thanks Jan

Hi JanJ A dongle is a device which you plug into your usb port. It works like a mobile phone to give you a broadband connection to the internet. Go to your nearest mobile phone shop (in Italy) and tell thyem where you live (you will need to have your codice fiscale with you) ask them for their best dea to suit your needs. My deal is with tim as above, I get 40 odd hours a month, I'm usually there once a month for a week, so I can use pretty much as I like. This has cost me E99 for the year. To start it off ask the people in the shop to put your sim card in. They will tell you how long it will take to activate (usually 24hrs) Plug in your dongle follow the instructions on the screen and off you go! hope that helps Good luck Chris

I use a rechargeable, Wind ricaricabile Mega Ore, phone card, as Salsabor, that I load and active before I visit. I have also bought one of these: http://www.globesurfer.co.uk/ Which gives me wired and wireless internet connection in the house by just plugging in the sim card and configuring the APN. I get excellent speed using one of these antennas, see link below, connected to the router and mounted on the house´s outside wall - on the same side of the house as there is a mobile base station. This is almost a must if you have an old stone house like me and don´t want to sit outside in order to get a decent speed. http://www.poyntingdirect.co.za/pK-OMNI-A0069-10M/3-Omni-Directional-Antenna-with-10-m-cable-and-selected-adapter.aspx One also needs a few cables and adapters... This way I can work over the internet while being in Italy