9519 mobile broadband

[quote=pigro;89176]
[*]up to 2.6Mbps in "turbo" areas or 384kbps otherwise

[*]the USB modem required to get connected can be bought from Three for £50
.[/quote]

I guess with that speed it's HSPDA? That's cheap for a HSPDA modem. I'm getting tired of using my phone. Actually I'm getting tired of the phone :madd:

Anyway I can check if they cover Sardinia?

[quote=PAS 55;89179]Anyway I can check if they cover Sardinia?[/quote]

yes - sorry, the link above got screwed up for some reason, [url=http://www.three.co.uk/personal/help_support_/network_coverage_/going_abroad_/pay_monthly/country_details.omp?cid=31506&partnerid=8481094]3 - Coverage[/url] should be OK ... looks like there is a fair part of the island covered.

You can also check Sardegna on the Tre italia site here ...[url=http://www.tre.it/selfcare/133online/4738_coperturaRegione_ITA_HTML.xsl?regionId=14]3 Wired Portal - 3 For You - 133 on line - Copertura Italia ed Estero - Copertura nazionale - Copertura regionale[/url]

[quote=NickZ;89178]I guess with that speed it's HSPDA? That's cheap for a HSPDA modem. I'm getting tired of using my phone. Actually I'm getting tired of the phone :madd:[/quote]
Yes its HSDPA, the take up in UK is pretty rampant right now so prices are falling fast. It's a really neat one too ... proper credit card size, very neat. THe other 3G networks are also selling similar (Voda's goes to 7.2Mbps with a fair wind ...) but the killer benefit of Three in my circumstances is the portability of the bundled minutes and the PAYG charging.

The cheapest HSPDA card or USB modem from TIM is 150 Euros or so.

For that price the local Expert shop has a Samsung I600 smart phone.

I’ve just got back to the UK, the modem which is on 3 does pick up the Tre ITA signal, however I couldn’t log on even with the international barring removed.
After about eight calls to 3 back in the UK ,I finally got through to someone who actually knew what they were talking about, yes I was surprised by that!:bigergrin:
I discovered from the phone call that all modems need the International baring removed (which I was aware of) AND also need the modem to be activated by 3 to be able to roam abroad.
They’ve informed me that this has now been done, I am going back over in six weeks, I'll let know how I get on!

WInd agency in Giulianova set up a deal for me using 3T which was a Sony-Eric`mobile, software and usb cable for E60.00 and a payg sim card which costs E10.00 a month giving 2.6Mbps and 5gb data. I have used this for the last six months and is ideal for my usage and frequent trips over. The day that you reactivate for a month you have to remember the connection is made active after midnight that day. Larger data bundles are availiable, plus of course you have the mobile phone for Italy too.

[quote=Val;89329]WInd agency in Giulianova set up a deal for me using 3T which was a Sony-Eric`mobile, software and usb cable for E60.00 and a payg sim card which costs E10.00 a month giving 2.6Mbps and 5gb data. I have used this for the last six months and is ideal for my usage and frequent trips over. The day that you reactivate for a month you have to remember the connection is made active after midnight that day. Larger data bundles are availiable, plus of course you have the mobile phone for Italy too.[/quote]
that s a really good deal. I used to use wind on PAYG (the old "mega" deal) but they only have GPRS coverage in my area, so the Three deal wins out for me. Your deal is way better value though - is it widely available or something that a local agency offered you as a special one off?

Hi, no its not a special deal,it was one of four options listed (the cheapest) but ideal for month on/off use.

out of interest, what is the data bundle product name - I looked on the wind website & I can't see any offer for 5GB data/month for 10€ on PAYG? There's various data options badged under the "LEONARDO" name, and there's the i-Mode portal which offers data bundles too ... but I can't see any products or promos that offer this deal.

This website [url=http://prepaid-wireless-internet-access.wetpaint.com/page/Italy+-+Wind?t=anon]Italy - Wind - Prepaid Wireless Internet Access[/url] appears to agree with my understanding (5GB would cost 30€, which is what I used to pay ... it included 3G/HSDPA where available, though I could only use GPRS in my location). Please, if possible, provide a website link on [url=http://www.wind.it]Wind[/url] that describes the product you have, it may be very useful for others.

I will be there this thursday to top up my payg so I will gather the facts and get back to you.
Val

Just for information if anyone is interested.

Tim do some good deals too on pay as you go. ([url=http://www.tim.it]TIM[/url]) Chip only costs €10

€25 for 150 hours a month Off Peak. (1700 - 0900 weekday + anytimeweekend + public holidays) (about 5 hours a day)
or
€25 for 100 hours anytime

You can use - Gprs, edge, umts, superumts or wifi depending on your phone / modemcard and what signals are available in your area.

Hope this helps

Which deals are those?

Tim Maxi recarica [Something like that. You'd think I'd remember after all these months]

is 9gb of traffic and unlimited time from 5pm to 9am. Which is alot more then 5 hours per day.

IIRC the hourly plans had more limited traffic.

The monthly billed deal was worse IIRC.

[url=http://www.tim.it/consumer/c364/i5791/o688/tariffa.do]TIM[/url]

[url=http://www.tim.it/consumer/o41223/tariffa.do]TIM[/url]

I guess the 150 hour plan has no data limit?:veryconfused: Might be worthwhile if you're in a fast area.

The tariff is tim alice (or maxi alice - cant remember) 150 or 100.

Yes, and there are no data limits. I get super umts signals in my area and from speed tests i get on average a true 1.5MB download speed although sometimes faster.

not bad for a mobile phone!

My previous italian isp fixed adsl data line was 4mb but to be honest it was always around a true 2MB.

The Modem cards boast speeds of up to 7mb but have never used one. If you have public wifi coverage they boast speeds of up to 11MB on the same package.

A cheap solution for those not wanting to sign any long term contracts and without data restrictions.

Hope this helps

[quote=chillout;89383]
The Modem cards boast speeds of up to 7mb but have never used one. If you have public wifi coverage they boast speeds of up to 11MB on the same package.
[/quote]

Any of the phones that support HSPDA also claim 7.2 meg. The phones are getting cheaper. Last time I looked I think TIM had one on offer for little more then 100 Euros.

The local Expert electronic shop has a Samsung I600 smartphone on offer now for 160.

While the TIM network is good, and the deals you refer to are excellent for a heavy data user, I started this thread to specifically reccomend what I consider to be the best low budget solution for a holiday home owner looking for 'average' internet usage (whatever that is?!) while in Italy. For me, 'average' is a minimum of 1GB/month, ~512Kbps downstream, strictly PAYG, with 24x7 access and with no possibility of being hit with unexpected roaming charges.

By that yardstick, I still reckon the Three UK deal of 1GB on HSDPA for £10 (i.e. about 13€) with the data consumable in both Italy & UK is an absolute winner, even in comparison to Val's 5GB for 10€ for Italian use ... because the Three deal also buys you a ready made broadband backup and mobile solution for the UK too.

To be honest I am still pinching myself every time I think about the deal. At the risk of further boring everyone, let me reiterate:
[LIST]
[*] The hardware only costs £50, one off ... & if you buy the newest one it is XP, Vista, Linux & Mac compatible. You can just stick it in any computer with a USB port and get instant net access provided you are in coverage.
[*] Installation is totally idiot proof - it self installs (Windows/Mac) from its own internal memory, with no user intervention.
[*] It offers 1GB of mobile broadband data for £10, to use whenever you want within a 30 day period. If you regularly use more than 1GB/month while you are on holiday, you are a sad individual!
[*] Sad individuals who do use up the 1GB within 30 days can just top up with another 1GB - you DON'T start getting hit with any extortionate 'out of bundle' data charges
[*] there is no contract and no ongoing charges, and there is a UK website/helpdesk to follow up any problems/issues
[*] international roaming is provided free of charge while on Three's network
[/LIST]

honestly , this trully is Xmas come early for anyone in my circumstances who has Three coverage in both their home locations :-)

[quote=libero;89320]I’ve just got back to the UK, the modem which is on 3 does pick up the Tre ITA signal, however I couldn’t log on even with the international barring removed.
After about eight calls to 3 back in the UK ,I finally got through to someone who actually knew what they were talking about, yes I was surprised by that!:bigergrin:
I discovered from the phone call that all modems need the International baring removed (which I was aware of) AND also need the modem to be activated by 3 to be able to roam abroad.
They’ve informed me that this has now been done, I am going back over in six weeks, I'll let know how I get on![/quote]

FYI, the PAYG modem I bought about 3 weeks ago came already configured & enabled for international roaming, it didn't need anything done by Three ...

Is there anyway to tell if the bars international an roaming have been removed while in the UK. Many times I speak to under skilled people in call centres who say they have done somethi yet it turns not to be the case.

Also am I right to think 3 only use 3G and therefore any gprs overage is roaming so is £££s per mb?
:smile:

[quote=rewob65;90312]Is there anyway to tell if the bars international an roaming have been removed while in the UK. Many times I speak to under skilled people in call centres who say they have done somethi yet it turns not to be the case.[/quote]
If you are referring specifically to 3's data modems, then yes you can. Once you've bought the modem you use it's phone number and the code on the SIM to log into "my Three" (basically your account admin pages). This shows you the roaming status (which as I said a bove is pre-configured to support international roaming). I'd be pretty surprised if the other networks didn't have a similar offering.

[quote=rewob65;90312]Also am I right to think 3 only use 3G and therefore any gprs overage is roaming so is £££s per mb?
:smile:[/quote] That's correct. However you can choose what types of connection your modem can establish. By default it will use 3G but fall back to roaming GPRS on partner networks when out of coverage - and as you say, that will end up costing you £3/MB 9on PAYG - less expensive on contract, but still v. costly). To prevent this, simply reconfigure the modem (the provided software allows this) so that it will ONLY use 3G. That way, when you are outwith Three's own network, the modem hardware will not physically allow you to roam onto GPRS, it will just drop the connection or refuse to connect in the first place.

As I said a couple of times, best to study the Three network coverage map of italy I linked to above to see if the location(s) you plan to be in general have coverage. If so, changing the default connection as described would be a viable solution.

If you plan to roam all aroujnt the country and NEED to stay connected regardless of location/coverage then the Three UK package would not be a good option, and you should select from the many good Italian offers available.

hi

where can i find more info about the wind deal, i have just moved here and would like to set up an internet connection that is portable as i am staying with friends while looking for a house i think that wind deal sounds good to me, any info you have would be great,

thanks

moni x

Until Val updates this thread I don't think anyone else can help you ... the offer she refers to doesn't appear anywhere on the Wind website (as far as I can see, anyway) so you may be better sending her a Private message if you want to follow up - I reckon she'd have updated the thread by now if she was going to.

am confused, have read all posts and need idiot proof internet access for my mac lap top that i can use here and in uk, while i am planning to live here, would the 3 deal be a good solution while i am waiting to get slowly organised with apartment and utilitie etc, or will it be better to install a phone line like in england and do it that way. i guess i could use the 3 one and skype and that way not need a phone line. any advise apreciated but please dont use techy terms as it turns me into a dumb blonde....
ta ever so moni x

[quote=moni;90380]am confused, have read all posts and need idiot proof internet access for my mac lap top that i can use here and in uk, while i am planning to live here, would the 3 deal be a good solution while i am waiting to get slowly organised with apartment and utilitie etc, or will it be better to install a phone line like in england and do it that way. i guess i could use the 3 one and skype and that way not need a phone line. any advise apreciated but please dont use techy terms as it turns me into a dumb blonde....
ta ever so moni x[/quote]

If both your locations have Three coverage then I'd say it was ideal. You can check that on the Three UK website by looking at their coverge maps. Three sell several different bits of hardware for mobile broadband. They have one which is mac compatile, so if you plump for Three just specify "MAC compatible" when you buy it.
If after 6 months you envisage using it only in Italy, AND as your main broadband solution, then I'd say that it would no longer be the best solution (go for a domestic italian product, whether mobile or otherwise) - but for the next 6 months it would possibly still be £110 well spent for convenience at both ends.

Installing a phone line in itally is usually a long and frustrating process (and not too cheap either).

I know you said not to get too technical, but ... using Skype directly with the Three USB Data Modem may not be possible - Three certainly support Skype (unlike many other mobile companies) but as far as I am aware, it actually carries calls over a GSM (normal cell phone) connection rather than as data over the internet connection, and you would have to have their "skypephone" - a modified mobile phone with a special skype button. Also, the "skypeout" feature (calling from your Skype client to a non-skype destination) definitely doesn't work ... Three say that their mobile network already gives you great value for that! So, just using the "mobile broadband" solution in italyand trying to run "normal" Skype over it may not work (as Three would probably block that type of data traffic, as the other mobile companies do). I can't say that 100% as I don't use skype and I haven't tried it on the Three broadband - but I'd make a substantial bet that as they use a special phone for Skype they will filter out any IP traffic running the skype protocol over the internet form a PC (whoops, got a bit techie there, sorry). If that solution appeals, you'd be better looking at a provider other than a mobile phone company as they all have a vested interest in you making voice calls over their phone (rather than data) network.

However, I have the Three broadband on PAYG for use in both countries and a cheapo Wind SIM in an old mobile phone for voice calls when in Italy - that works fine for me and would, I'd imagine, be OK for you once in Italy full time. The charges for cellphone use in Italy are pretty reasonable, I doubt you'll miss a landline purely on cost grounds.

Moni if your area is covered by DSL go to the telecom site and order the new phone line and Alice deal. The cost of DSL is lower then anything similar over the cell phone market.

If you're not in a DSL area then it depends. I wouldn't get dialup today. The slowest cellphone service in a good service area is faster [3x?] but can be terrible in a bad reception area. OTOH if your cell phone signal is a newer network the whole setup is quite good.

For Skype the Edge network isn't really fast enough for anything serious. IIRC Skype even claims it doesn't work. With a 3G or HSPDA it would be good. So Skype depends on cell network.

If you're making lots of calls then Telecom has some plans that aren't too bad. The problem is for the people making a few but not lots of calls. But you can get a calling card which with a fixed line isn't too bad.

Telecom is charging 100 Euros to install the line and you can even pay that over 2 years if you want. The scheduled appointment is six days from my order so not bad IMHO.

Have a look at [url=http://www.novamedia.de]nova media | Use a cell phone with your Macintosh Computer: Manage files, Sync, SMS and mobile Internet[/url] you could get their modem and launch2net software then you can take advantage of any pay as you go internet offer by buying the appropriate sim and subscribing - being able to switch to any other later. This would not mean being tied to one provider's modem and internet package.

NickZ/Cassini - good general advice, and maybe of great relevance for the future, but look at what moni actually asked for: "idiot proof internet access for my mac lap top that i can use here and in uk, while i am planning to live here, would the 3 deal be a good solution while i am waiting to get slowly organised with apartment and utilitie etc,".
[B]
Assuming as before that there is Three 3G coverage in both locations:

"idiot proof"[/B] - YES (Go to 3 Shop. Ask for mac usb modem + 1GB data. Hand over £60. Take box home. Plug gizmo into USB port; wait 30 seconds for it to self install; click "connect" on the window that pops up. Surf away)
[B]"Mac Laptop"[/B] YES - new hardware, specifically Mac compatible
[B]"here and in Uk" [/B]- YES, £10 gets you 1GB to use within 30 days in both locations. (No need to swap SIM's etc. - it works "as is" in both places)
[B]"while I'm waiting"[/B] - YES. Low cost to buy. Would pay for itself over even 1 months usage & you get to keep the hardware, (easily unlocked). If, after you're settled in Italy, you don't like the Three UK deal, and you don't find a Tre Italia one you fancy, unlock the modem to use with the SIM of your choice, flog it on ebay, give it to a friend or just throw it away.

NickZ - once Moni is out there (or once she's had time to research permanent solutions in Italy more thoroughly) she may indeed want to go down the fixed line route, but I can't see any logic in doing that until she's there full time. Meantime, my suggestion would be not only easier and cheaper but would also meet the stated criteria of use in both countries (which a fixed line would not) and would be a real boon in the unlikely (?) event that the Telecom Italia install experience wasn't as smooth for her as it was for you!

Cassini - that's a nice solution for those with deep pockets. Start with hardware cost: [B]€249[/B] for a mac USB modem from Nova (ouch!). Then add [B]€75[/B] for the cheapest software download. Now, research and buy an Italian prepay SIM plus sufficient data credit for say 6 months (say [B]€50[/B] in total, I'm feeling charitable) - though you can't do that til next time you're in italy (when is that?). You're already at [B]€374 minimum[/B] before you even try to use it in the UK (that's another prepay sim plus another data bundle unless you want to pay international roaming charges. I'll thow that in for say £50 (call it [B]€60[/B] 'coz I like you!). We're now at [B]€434[/B] with three separate purchases, from three separate suppliers in two separate countries, requiring a sim swap and purchase/activation of a new top up each time you change location. Is that really better than spending [B]£110[/B] for a full six months zero hassle mobile broadband in both countries?

I think we (me included) are sometimes guilty on here of trying to answer questions that weren't actually asked!

The idiot proof is why I suggested DSL. She clicks a few things on the Alice site. Somebody shows up installs a WI-FI router. She turns on the Mac and hopefully all is well.

If she gets a cell phone based service then she'll be her own tech support. Maybe it'll work fine but if it doesn't? Worse she'll be buying a UK service and trying to get support in Italy.

She wants to use Skype. So either she needs to communicate with people on the Skype service or does lots of LD calls. To me it looks like she'll save money using the fixed line if she can't get a fast enough connection for Skype.

[quote=NickZ;90410]The idiot proof is why I suggested DSL. She clicks a few things on the Alice site. Somebody shows up installs a WI-FI router. She turns on the Mac and hopefully all is well.[/quote]
What "few things" exactly does she click, as a non-technical foreigner on a foreign site aimed at ordering a semi-technical service with several different options? Do those few things require her to have stuff like a Codice Fiscale and a bank account set up? can she arrange the instal lfor a time of her choice when she's next in Italy?

[quote=NickZ;90410]If she gets a cell phone based service then she'll be her own tech support. Maybe it'll work fine but if it doesn't? [/quote]
Have you not read any of the posts on here re. people trying to get tech support from TI? And being offline for weeks on end with no help? I'll repeat. You buy the Mac compatible modem from the Three UK shop. You plug it into the Mac. It works. If in any doubt, take your mac laptop down to the Three UK shop and plug it in there when you buy it. In the unlikely event that it doesn't work on the spot, get them to sort it before you walak out the door. If they can't (and you have nobody competent in UK to spend 5 minutes fixing it for you) ... fair enough you have a 3 day no quibble money back guarantee. Just leave it on the desk, get your refund and walk out no worse off than when you walked in.
[quote=NickZ;90410]Worse she'll be buying a UK service and trying to get support in Italy.[/quote]You don't understand. She buys it in the UK. She plugs it in. It works. Once she's got that far, there is nothing else to do. It is preset by Three with international roaming enabled. if she's physically able to carry her laptop plus modem onto a plane then when she hits Tre italia coverage, it authenticates straight onto the same network as it was in the UK. The only thing that [B][I]could[/I][/B] fail to work would be reception at her Itlaina location. And I pointed that out several posts ago and linked to a coverage checker, with coverage being a prerequisite to my answer.

[quote=NickZ;90410]She wants to use Skype. So either she needs to communicate with people on the Skype service or does lots of LD calls. To me it looks like she'll save money using the fixed line if she can't get a fast enough connection for Skype.[/quote]My answer was intended to cover her question as to whether the Three modem may be a good solution for her transition from UK to Italy. Skype over ANY mobile internet product is only for real geeks as you have to circumvent the network operator who wants to prevent you from doing this, and has all the tools to run packet inspection on the skype traffic and route it down a black hole. You may well be right that once in Italy full time a fixed line would be more economic; for someone who relies on skype certainly the argument is stronger (as long as she's not 10 Km's from her exchange). But I never said otherwise. In fact, I actually said:
[quote]If after 6 months you envisage using it only in Italy, AND as your main broadband solution, then I'd say that it would no longer be the best solution (go for a domestic italian product, whether mobile or otherwise)[/quote]
Meantime, mobile broadband plus a cheapo Itaiian PAYG sim+phone while she's not yet there full time still sounds ideal to me. If you want to debate it further PM me - I think we're at the end of what's useful as advice to a non-technical person here.

[url=http://www.187.alice.it/cgi-bin/di_187/di/187/di3/demand/bannerRedirect.do?linkType=1&bannerOID=536916690&productOid=10629&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes]:: 187.it - Attivazione linea base - ::[/url]

That's it. From the requirements:

First and last name. So Cher can't get one.
Codice fiscal which I think she posted having
address
contact number.

You can tell them to bill you so no banking info need.

Afterwards they send you an email. You phone and setup an appointment. All relatively painless. IIRC she also posted about speaking Italian :veryconfused:

TIM when I tested Skype wasn't blocking anything. It's too slow on an Edge network but it worked.

Why do you think she won't have any problems in Italy? Stuff breaks.

keep missing the point all you want. Until you live somewhere permanently you're just pissing away money if you opt to start paying fixed monthly charges at that location for any service that you can't use all the time, [I]if there is a purpose designed alternative solution that costs less initially, has a PAYG model, is as easy/easier, provides most of the same benefits plus several extremely useful additional ones[/I] [B][I]and which fulfills the key requirement of beng useable in both places on demand.[/I][/B]

Moni wanted to know if Three mobile broadband was a good choice for use in TWO countries for an UNSPECIFIED length of time. On grounds of ease of setup and cost the answer is YES and YES. After she's permanently in Italy, and on all matters Skype related, you can advise all you want and I'll have nothing to add.

ps. I did a quick search re. skype over mobile networks - looks like you are right there. UK mobile operators did/do implement barring on skype traffic, but most European ones do not appear to do so. Then again, you want a pretty big (i.e. costly) inclusive data bundle if you're gong to run serious volumes of voice calls over a relatively poor quality VOIP service rather than god old GSM, and they'll make their money back that way. Like I said though, the skype bit is outwith the advice I was trying to give.

pps. I'm sure she'll have problems in Italy - everyone does. I'm confident they wont be Three related because there is nothing there to cause a user fixable problem in the set up I've described. Once it's working correctly in UK, it WILL work in Italy. If it stops working, it's the network, the hardware or something you did wrong on your Mac software long after you started using the modem. None of these is unique to the Three USB modem, all can go wrong equally on TI/Alice and I still say that while she has a foot in both camps, dealing with a UK company (and with an inherently portable, zero config device) makes any support easier for a UK national. If it stops working, stick it in any old PC you can blag. if it doesn't work there either, the hardware is shagged. If it does, your Mac is shagged.

in the spirit of competition, fun and desparation, I've added a poll. Its multiple choice :-)

3 sounds great if you can get it without roaming onto the TIM gprs network at the additional cost - as in my area. TIM's 9gb PAYG suits me when I'm in Italy. Modem costs from Novamedia do include the software its not an extra. Of course not all modems have the same speed capabilities, especially if you can take advantage of UMTS speeds. For the record its an effortless connection and interface too. There are more options for mobile Mac users than there were a few years ago - all information is useful - its good you've shared all this information about 3.

[QUOTE=pigro;89176]I've posted info on this across several other threads in the past, but I suspect many who could benefit from it would never have stumbled upon it there.

If you are a holiday home owner looking for an internet connection in Italy for use during your visits there, but those visits won't be frequent enough to justify the cost of a fixed phone line or a line of sight wi-max type solution, the following may help.
(snip)

My friend uses this TIM/Alice tarif for all his mobile & boradband needs:

[url=http://www.tim.it/consumer/o41213/tariffa.do]TIM - Maxxi Alice 100 Prepagati[/url]

He just tops it up on arrival and uses his phone to connect to his laptop by WiFi/Bluetooth/or cable to his desktop and says it works almost everywhere and is fast enough for Skype. The phone is programmed to roam & search any network & connection protocol for the best available and connect up automatically. When he signed up the offer was unlimited capacity but he thinks they may have capped it now.

I would be interested in how it works out for forum members. Unfortunately I have a stone-age phone so I still tend to trot off to the internet café with my laptop for my Skyping.

Pip pip

[quote=pigro;90426]in the spirit of competition, fun and desparation, I've added a poll. Its multiple choice :-)[/quote]

I've voted - you're in the lead! :bigergrin:

[quote=pigro;90425]keep missing the point all you want. Until you live somewhere permanently you're just pissing away money if you opt to start paying fixed monthly charges at that location for any service that you can't use all the time, .[/quote]

She's been living in Italy for months. Won't be able to order a phone line until she has her own apartment. She states she'll be living full time in Italy and that UK is the travel spot. That sure sounds permanent to me.

PLUS the 7meg ADSL service is cheaper then many of the cell phone services.

Hi all,

I can vouch for the three broadband. I just got it recently and it is excellent.

£7.50 per month (Free modem too) for 3GB. I've been online for around 50 hours so far in the UK and Italy, on trains, in a taxi, in mountains, on lake Garda, all without any problems. A very cost-effective solution for me. (And I've only used about 400MB in the 50 hours!)

Three also have excellent deals for those wishing to call the UK from Italy. I pay £20 a month and I get 1100 minutes or texts (1 text deducts one minute from your total) per month. I can now call home whenever I like without having to bother about using an internet phone or whatever. It's fantastic! As long as you stay on 3's networks in Europe your calls to uk mobiles and landlines are included with your free minutes.

just to clarify, the cost quoted by barrov is for a contract (not PAYG) broadband product, where they are offering free hardware to all contract users & half price on your chosen data bundle for the duration of the contract if you also have a Three phone contract (which barrov does!). So, the 3GB bundle, normally £15, is avaialble for £7.50 (but you have to pay it every month for the duration) - fantastic value if you will be using it on a continuous basis. PAYG still wins out if it's predominantly for occasional use in an Italian holiday home, with UK usage likewise on an occasional basis.

My experience with Tre (3) here in Italy is dreadful - which is the reason I would suggest caution when dealing with them. I emphasise that I am talking about Tre Italia, not 3 in the UK.

My wife and I got a couple of mobile phones from Tre 3 years ago - the LG camera phone that was on special offer at the time, on a 2 year contract. My wife had no problems with the phone itself - I had a total of 4 replacement phones in the first 3 months. Living in Milano at the time, I had to take the phone and all the packing to the shop where I bought it, after which i had to take it to the service centre close to the Stazione Centrale. Quite a hike for an old boy! After two replacements they had to check my details and the phone before even looking at it, taking several days each time. In fact, the 4th replacement started with them just refusing to change it! A nightmare, in other words.

Aside from the hardware, Tre Italia (I have no idea how they operate in the UK) want credit card details which they then charge against on a monthly basis. Unfortunately they seem to forget to do so every now and then, which prompts their debt collection department to cut one's phone off immediately. Another pain, especially as you have to pay the outstanding amount in a Post Office and then fax the receipt to the Tre Italia office before they would connect it again. No, I was never in a situation where my card was even remotely close to it's credit limit.

They did this to me three times (significant, perhaps) before I decided to call it a day. The SIM in our phones were the small ones that don't seem to fit in many other phones and it is locked to the telephone hardware in any case, making it impossible to use the phone with another SIM whilst all this is going on.

My wife had similar problems with billing and payments, but soldiered on to the end of the contract, when she terminated it. Tre Italia took another couple of payments from her after the contract ended just for good measure. As many of you will know, my wife is Italian and has no problems writing business letters, so there was no ommission at all regarding paperwork - just the complete lack of care on the part of Tre Italia.

So, whilst the advertising looks very attractive and the offers appear irresistible, I would urge you to take care if you deal with Tre Italia - especially if the phone you are looking for will be your primary form of communication. Buyer beware, in other words.

OK. Rant over.

I'm afraid that I have to agree entirely with Nardini. We bought two Tre italia mobile phones, each with a contract, as well as a mobile internet modem with a contract one month ago. It is a complete disaster. The phones did not work properly from the begining nor did the internet. Then after a lot of hasstle, we got the phones to work, but have now found that they only funtion in Italy, although we have signed a contract for something which is supposed to function internationally. Rather catastrophic when you work all over Europe and are dependant on your phone.

Just two days after having finally got the internet to work, it all stopped again. After many many hours of frustrating calls to their horrible telephone call centre - where one is bombarded with advertsing inbetween being instructed which button to press for the non-service, and several visits to the unhelpful tre Italia shops, I was told tre, somewhere along the line, made a mistake with our credit card and decided to block our internet access. Nothing wrong with the card of course - they still help themselves to it for the telephones. Only solution they say is to fax a photocopy of the passport and credit card to a fax number! The very same credit card. When asked: but you already have it and if you made the mistake why should we be paying for it - there is no answer. As my partner isn't in italy at the moment and not able to fax the said documents, I ended up faxing a copy of my passport and credit card. Result: my credit card was immediately blocked by the bank so now I cannot use it either and we still have no internet.

Steer clear of tre italia! Absolutely no service. Nothing works as it should. The one hour of "free" telephone calls on offer with our contract, has been spent only on calling tre every day to try and fix the problems. This is the fourth week of this disaster. I have had to buy another modem from wind in order to use the internet.
And just for good measure Tre also says we cannot break the two year contract.

Right. I promise I will shut up for good after this post. Understood that Tre have bad (appauling in these cases) customer service. I don't think Three UK are neccessarily much better - but then again I actually DO work in the Telecoms industry, and I know that they are all - without exception - guilty of this; every mobile operator/VMNO has the same problems with provisioning & billing in a market where churn is huge, margins are slim and the whole industry sector is in a 3 year slump.

I'm a senior technical manager within a company who provide fixed, mobile and VOIP voice/data solutions to corporate, SOHO/SME and residential customers. We are the UK's longest established ISP, and we provide our own Mobile Broadband product in the UK. I also have my own sole trader (i.e. unlimited personal liability) consultancy business. I provide consultancy, programming, software and bespoke systems. I provide these to mobile voice/data network/service providers, Media (TV/Print), corporates, Banking/Financial sectors over the past 15 years throughout 7 European countries (though not Italy). In short I know what I'm talking about from the network operator, infrastructure, service provider, Tech Support and Customer Service perspectives.

The Three package I described offers many benefits for my specific circumstances. It's a new(ish) offer, with new(ish) hardware. I recently bought it. It works. It is PAYG. There is no billing relationship. There is no contract. It is supplied fully enabled for international roaming (PAYG means no risk for the operator). I don't own a phone from Three (UK or Italy). I have no relationship with Tre. I agree that their reputation is pretty shit, particularly in Italy & Ireland. Hutchieson (who are the parent co.) are trying to flog Tre, but there are no takers. I know their coverage is limited (that's inevitible as a 3G only operator) and their roaming is pricey.

Be that as it may, their network and technology are sound, and certainly at least as good as any other 3G operator (personally I'd say better, as they have fewer legacy platforms/people/processes). I don't advocate anybody to have any dealings with Tre Italia. I don't suggest anyone take out a contract with them. That's the last thing I'd do personally. It's one of the reasons that the Three UK PAYG appealed to me, as it circumvents the need to communicate with them at all.

I do understand that the feedback on Tre is valuable info for those considering Three and more specifically Tre contract phones/data cards, so good luck to one and all with whatever works for you, Pigro will now "give it a rest" by popular demand, over & out.

I'm very sorry to hear about the Tre Italia problems. They sound absolutely awful and I would be furious if I was in either of the two situations laid out above.

Three UK have been excellent so far in my experience. The customer support is via Indian call centres, but their English is first class and I have found them to be very knowledgeable.

I would personally steer clear of any Italian contracts where possible. Perhaps it's my not so wonderful Italian but things seem to be very long-winded and difficult for the simplest of things. (Forms in triplicate, signatures, 'timbros' etc)

I'm happy to be in a contract with Three for the phone and broadband as I am absolutely sure that I won't find a better deal for my (Complicated) situation over the next year or so. I'm happy to have these prices set so low after 10 years of very erratic (And sometimes extortionate) bills from Orange.

Each to their own really, there are some great deals out there, you just have to do your own research for your own particular circumstances. (As you obviously are, by being here, reading this thread!)

3 UK have just extended their offer to existing cutomers of free modem and half price monthly contracts (£5/£7.50/£10) until the end of June. I shall be signing up even though I do have PAYG with a local wi-fi internet provider in Italy. I shall get the £5 / month package for the laptop and be able to use it in the UK and in Italy. We signed up to the £15 per month 3 contract with free phones in March and saved the first two months payments with the calls we made from Italy to the UK using our free minutes for our Easter visit. I am sure it will pay for itself for the rest of the year with our summer visit of seven weeks. If you have 3 coverage in Italy, I do not think these deals can be beaten. Oh and by the way, the mobile broadband deal of £5 per month is for the life of the contract - not just for the first few months or so

I will be in Italy for about 6 weeks during the summer and then for the odd week during the rest of the year and want to use my mobile as modem to get internet access on my laptop and therefore want PAYG. There is no 3 reception on our area but understand that Tim and vodaphone are fine.

I will be using a Nokia mobile and wonder whether anyone has any views on either Tim or Vodaphone in terms of ease of set up, cost etc.

Adrian.

I live in Italy full time and where i currently live, i have ADSL, but we may be moving into the countryside, therefore needing mobile broadband.

I had been looking at Tre Italia's pay and go option, which on paper doesn't look too bad (5GB a month for €19.99), but seem put off by the experiences of others on here. I know from first hand experience of other utility providers in Italy, that none really give a toss about their customers and it appears Tre Italia are no different.

I guess, what i want to know is, could i sign up with 3 (UK) while out here, just for the mobile broadband and modem (no phone)? I'd be looking at the 7GB option.

I notice too, that Tre Italia advertise my area as 'up to' 7.2Mb/sec, yet the UK modem seems to be for 3.6Mb/sec. Would i be capable of the full speed on the UK modem, or can i buy any dongle and still be compatible?

Also could anyone (Pigro included :winki:) please advise on the actual usage of the service compared to ADSL ie Streaming videos from Youtube, etc. Is it reliable enough?

[quote=Pigro]Right. I promise I will shut up for good after this post.[/quote]
I'll PM you when I get a mo' :madd:

Don't stop now Pigro, this thread has been magnificent, a lifesaver for me. My task for this evening was find out how to get my mac up and running in Italy (don't think i can manage over there without this forum, not to mention on line banking tax returns and so on.) I was dreading it but this feels like task accomplished thanks to you and everyone else for all the information and advice.
PS didn't even know what mobile broadband was until about 10 minutes ago!

Moni's post describes where I am with broadband technology and with our move Italy, to the letter (thank you Moni!) and Pigro's advice would fit the bill very nicely indeed, but I've just checked '3' coverage and tantalisingly, excrutiatingly, the map doesn't make it clear that our bit of Umbria, just east of Terni and Spoleto is covered, in fact it looks as though it isn't. Can anyone advise the next easiest and most economical solution ... or, as a Mac devotee, should I splash out on a 3G Iphone in July? The AT & T tariff looks horribly expensive.
PS
Pigro I want to PM you but your message box is full!

[quote=lupo;91499]or, as a Mac devotee, should I splash out on a 3G Iphone in July? The AT & T tariff looks horribly expensive.[/quote]

Why would you care about the AT&T plan? If you really wanted an Iphone Tim and Vodafone in Italy should be selling them. The current Iphone has been for sale for awhile.

OTOH it seems the 3g Iphone can't be used as a modem. So you can't hook it up to your computer.

For 150Euros or less you can get a USB modem from Tim or Vodafone. No plan locking you in. Both offer various plans to choose from. The TIM plans are nice since you can use whatever service is available. Including Telecom Italias Wi-FI hotspots.

Thanks Nick. Is there some way I can find out about TIM plans and coverage and modems before I get to Italy? Preferably, I'd like to be internet secure before I engage with all the other stuff like getting utilities, residenza, a toilet and shower etc. etc.! Funny, isn't it ... our 21st century priorities...