In Italy you need to get your telephone service activated through Telecom Italia. If there is no phone service in your new house or if you need to change the name on the contract, call the company's toll-free number to find out what you need to do. There are charges for activating your line and initiating service.
:: TELECOM ITALIA
Tel. 187
http://www.telecomitalia.it/
Once Telecom has activated or installed your line, you can change for other phone services providers.
Two of the most stable new phone companies are:
Infostrada - www.infostrada.it
Tele2 - www.tele2.it (Italian version)
:: MOBILE PHONE
Mobile phone prices are different, but there are almost always deals and special offers to be had.
Check in the yellow pages under the listing TELEFONI CELLULARI E RADIOTELEFONI or TELEFONIA E TELECOMUNICAZIONI for stores:
http://www.paginegialle.it/pg/cgi/pgsearch.cgi?ts=1&cb=0&l=2
Phone stores have brochures from Mobile Service Companies so you can compare your needs with different service plans. Most people use prepaid, rechargeable scheda (telephone cards) to pay for their mobile phone use. You decide how much money you want to put on the card each time you recharge it. You have to pay a base fee to recharge your phone with the scheda prepagata, no matter how much money you put into it; you can recharge it at a tobacconist's, phone store, or bar where you see signs advertising Ricaricard.
Some credit card companies also provide a recharge service for cell phones.
Service companies in Italy are:
Vodafone - Client service: 190
http://www.190.it/engl/index.html?tk=9616%2Cf&ty_key=190english
Wind - Client service: 155
http://www.wind.it/it/privati/index.phtml
Tim - Client Service 119
http://www.privati.tim.it/eng
:: CHEAP CALL
Pre-paid international calling cards are the best bet for making cheap long-distance calls, especially to other continents.
One such card is the Europa, available at the post office and at some tabaccherie and grocery stores in the center.
International call-centers: a good bet for cheap phone rates, too. They have recently begun to spring up around town.
In many tabaccherie and copy-centers as well you can find also a fax center.
