Calling UK mobile/landlines from Italy

paul_taylor_2

Hi All, I will b using my mobile to call other orange mobiles in the u.k.from Italy, can anyone advise me the best way to keep the costs down? Apart from not using it of course. I have also read of being able to buy a sim card 4 the country you are using the phone in, has anyone done this and is it cheaper this way?

tight-git

hi, just got back from belgium and have been using a local sim card -proximus -their vodafone.

of cos receiving calls are free and use ur own UK mob to receive sms for free.

for dialing back to uk (get uk to call you is the best -use cheap carrier), i use 1 of their local calling card, its not very cheap but ok. i worked out its 5x cheaper then using ur uk mob. 1 last tip , where u buy the local sim , ask them for a calling card to go with that sim - ie, the network that calling card accepts. my calling card access code is 0800 xxx- and its good(FREE) on the payandgo proximus sim.

hope this helps, can any1 else provide other tips??? :T

andy88_2

I hope these posts will be split on to a new thread.

There are 3 Italian GSM networks - TIM, Vodafone and Wind. For 3g there are these and 3.

Friends very strongly recommend Wind, as the tariffs are better. A €10 SIM comes with €5 credit. Local calls on Wind10 tariff are 10c/min + 15c connect. International calls 50c, but instead you can get a Wind "Dialoga International" calling card with better rates. And just after I wrote this I found a call-your-country option for 30c - can't see yet if that is for landlines only or mobiles as well; I'll look a bit more tomorrow at this and the calling card.

Also, in Italy, you have to get a "Codice Fiscale" to be able to buy a SIM card. It's like a financial ID or tax code. I'll dig up details of that as well.

tight-git

wow Andy 88 , your knowledeg on this mobile subject is immense to say the least! any tips for Ireland?

andy88_2

Italy - http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/italy.html

- has links to more info on tariffs etc on the same site, to networks own sites, and further down the page the other info I mentioned is quoted - Dialoga International calling card (available in different places to SIMs as it says) and Codice Fiscale. Looking on the official site it points to about the CF, there seem to be about 100 of the "Agenzia delle entrate" offices where you apply for it, and a sort of 'unofficial' method as well

Ireland - O2, Vodafone and Meteor. Someone on MSE recommended Meteor to me recently. It has a lower flat rate tariff than the others, though they have more peak and off-peak variations. It used to have sparser coverage in rural areas, so it may depend a bit where you're going. I thinkk Irish networks have free 0800 so you may be able to use a calling card.
http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/irlanda.html

tight-git it sounds like you go to different countries quite a bit; did you think of the Riiing SIM?

tight-git

hi Andy88, please explain Riiing SIM..
im a buyer based in UK and EU and my customers are in Hong Kong and China-being chinese myself obviously helps :O)
do you have a mobile shop or website? how come you know SO MUCH about mobile biz? sorry me being nosey...:O) u dont have to tell me ok.

andy88_2

There's a bit more about it on the pinned thread at the top (but I think you've seen that), or http://www.riiing.com/

The first advantage is, it has free incoming roaming calls in over 60 countries. It then uses a callback system to make 'outgoing' calls from €0.39 per minute in those countries and a bit more in others.

But you can set up an account with a different company that allows outgoing calls from 6 or 7p per minute, and incoming for similar or a bit more via US 800 or UK 0800 (and about 20 other mainly European) numbers and PIN. (There is also something like a calling card option with this account.) I've only been using these together a short time myself but connection is good (better than via cheap call providers here which sometimes have network congestion).

For people who just want a SIM for one holiday a year a local one will be the best idea. People from very large firms won't be interested either. But I think for you this could be useful though don't rely on it entirely. You need a 2nd phone to make this double account system work anyway so that can be a backup, maybe local or UK SIM.

I'm not expert, just been looking at this for a few months. I don't have shop or website, but am thinking of website. It seems to me the SIMs are more expensive here than abroad. I'm on the point of persuading about 40 friends to let me get some.

tight-git

count me in Andy, i can get you China, Singerpore, HK , Irish ,Begium and sometime Germany and France too. oh, and Holland :O)
will now reserach more on riiing site.
after my trip , my bro in uk told me that i have made a 4min + call to his mobile (left as a message) because i didn't lock my keypad!! thats the 2nd time this sort of calls has cost me loads - i will NOT use non-flip phone from now on :O(

andy88_2

I see what you mean. I was thinking of just the Riiing SIM, but maybe we should think of MSE members helping get each other various ones, though it might get complicated; probably easier to just wait until you get there.