Newsgroup: it.tlc.cellulari
Titolo: Cell phone rental or purchase for trip to Italy---advice wanted

I'm going to Italy for about 10 days and would like to have a cell
phone there for emergency use.  (There is a family member who is ill
and I want to be able to keep in touch with the US.)  I've looked at
various we sites that talk about renting or buying phones either before
we leave or after we get to Italy.  Clearly if I buy I'd want to get an
unlocked phone and an Italy SIM card.  This would seem to cost about
100 dollars/euros.  For details, though, I wanted to poll all you
experts out there for your advice.
So, what's your opinion about:
(a) renting vs buying?
(b) getting the phone before we leave vs in Italy?
(c) particular places or companines, either in the US or Italy, to rent
or buy?  (We'll be in Rome, staying near the Colosseum, if that
matters.)
(d) anything else that you might want to share with me?
Thanks in advance for all your help!
-Ben
-- 
Remove the obvious to reply.

 (d) anything else that you might want to share with me?
Do you have an American cellphone? Who's the carrier? They may have an
international roaming program that would allow you to use your phone/account
in Italy. Some of your Italian relatives may have a SIM that they are not
using. In general people will be happy to let you borrow a zero-ballance SIM
if you recharge it and keep it active for another year.
--
Donald Newcomb
DRNewcomb (at) attglobal (dot) net
Remove 'NOT' from address to  reply


You can calculate your own codice fiscale here:
http://www.codicefiscale.com/
Cognome = Last Name
Nome= First Name
Data di Nascita= Date of Birth (the months are a pull down menu in order so
this is easy to figure out)
Sesso= Gender
Selezione Comune di Nascita= Place of birth, you would need to use Estero,
you will then get a popup menu.  Select appropriate place of birth (Stati
Uniti d'America for the USA)
Click Calcola
HTH
Cristina

 wrote in message
news:anrmvd$gbjia$1...@ID-102504.news.dfncis.de...

Or you could use this site  
http://www.comuni.it/servizi/codfisc/
It offers the same service free too.
K

FYI  If you plan on renting a car, Avis is running a promotion that
will loan you a cell phone while you a renting.  I don't know if this
phone is locked or unlocked, but it seemed like a good deal for the
price - free.

steve....@sunset.state.tx.us
 (SteveH) wrote: 

This is - with 100% certainty - a phone with a fixed SIM - so Avis 
can get its percentage on the fees. It won't accept any other SIM,
not even from the same carrier. 
M. 

 (Italian Taxpayer Number).
www.comuni.it
 and you can "have" a Codice Fiscale. Easy and sure eheh
--
Andrea de Florence, 
www.windworld.org
 Staff
- La HomePage di it.sport.calcio.fiorentina -> 
www.iscf.info
- Il tuo cellulare all'estero: 
www.wind-roaming.tk
 , 
www.prepaidgsm.tk
<<< Per rispondermi sopprimi 
ACFIORENTINA.NET
 e tifa Florentia Viola >>>

 wrote in message
news:061020021833570712%REMOVE....@hotmail.THESE.com...


Two options you might want to look at.
First if you use GSM in the States why not buy a triband and get it
unlocked, then drop in an Italian pay as you go SIM and then drop in
your US SIM on your return. Bit expensive for a one off but then you
have an unlocked phone that you can use worldwide and back in the US
Second is to buy an Italian pay as you go phone, you can get it
unlocked at your leisure then, advantage you have an unlocked phone
that you can use worldwide except for use in the US
Regarding where to buy in Italy I defer to more knowledgeable psoters
on that one
Regards
John