Quick Facts
Country: Italy
Network Name: Wind
Prepaid Card Name: Prepagata Wind
Frequency and Technology: GSM 900/1800, W-CDMA 2100
Prepaid Package Cost (Just SIM): ? 10.00, including ? 5.00 of credit
Documents Needed: ID card/Passport and Italian Fiscal Code
Prepaid Package Validity: 11 months, plus 1 month to recharge
CSD access: Yes
GPRS/EDGE access: Yes, GPRS only, EDGE in testing
UMTS access: Yes
SIM applications: Yes, you can configure your 64k simcard from Internet, and add/remove applications from it
Manual included: Yes, in Italian only
Refill amounts: ? 4/3, ? 10/8, ? 25/20, ? 45/40, ? 60/60 (cost/credit)
Availability: Wind shops, big department stores
Competitors: TIM, Vodafone, 3 ITA
More In-Depth Information
Buying:
The Good:
It's quite easy to find a Wind shop (just look at the sign with the blue/orange wave logo), but it's better to go to a MondoWind (official) shop, which are usually better. The prepaid kit is cheap and the card is usually active in a couple of hours (but sometimes you can wait also up to 48 hours).
The Bad:
The usual big problems with Italian Fiscal Code, you need one otherwise you cannot buy any Italian prepaid card. Sometimes, expecially on weekends or in August (=holidays), you have to wait quite a lot for the card to be activated.
Usage:
The Good:
Wind is usually the cheaper solution for GSM in Italy. The preactivated plan is called Wind10 which is very good for messaging and not so short calls (per minute biling). You can switch to another plan for free (only the first time). SempreLight is the best plan for short calls (no set-up fee. per second billing).
Wind's coverage is usually good in bigger towns while can have some problems in the countryside. In some places you can roam on Vodafone net for free. In the bigger towns Wind mainly uses GSM 1800 frequency plus some EGSM 900 channels. In rural areas they use mainly GSM 900.
There is 3G W-CDMA coverage too in all bigger towns throughout Italy (mainly in the north); prepaid customers can access to the 3G network without any special configuration; videocall service is active by default.
Packet data connections (GPRS or UMTS) are available for all prepaid customers as well as Voicemail service and other services like "who called you" (when phone is turned off or out of coverage).
Wind is the only Italian operator with international SMS at the same price as national ones.
You can set English as your preferred speaking language for IVR and messages.
There are some "mini-forfaits" for voice and SMS which can be very useful and cheap for longer journey in Italy with other Wind customers.
International roaming is available and active by default.
With the "Dialoga International" cards (you hav to buy them at newsstans, tobacco shops...) you have the cheapest international rates from an Italian mobile.
Complete cost control through *123# on the phone and through internet (with much more information) at
www.155.it.
The Bad:
Wind has the worst GSM coverage in Italy compared to TIM and Vodafone, but still quite ok and growing. National roaming with Vodafone is nowadays very limited.
UMTS network has big problems these days, so I suggest to use the GSM network only which is very reliable.
Customer Service (155) is free but in Italian only, you will get lost if you try to use it. The online service 155.it is good but in Italian only.
TIPS:
Usually in Summer and during main holidays you can find special promotions for new prepaid sim-only kits; if you plan to stay in Italy for a long time consider to activate some offers you see listed on Wind page here on PrepaidGSM.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Wind is the best solution in Italy... unless you plan to go to some place with weak coverage. I'm a Wind customer since 2000 and I never had big problems. It's a reliable operator and the cheapest by far. It's expecially suggested for travellers and foreign people due to the cheaper international calls (with Dialoga International) and SMS (also SMSbug works well).