SIMs for two Nexus Ones in Rome

[rickh925]

I thought that I had bookmarks for a page that explained exactly what to do and say to get a pair of Wind SIM cards with Internet No Stop but I can't find them. I believe that our Nexus Ones on the USA T-Mobile bands (UMTS 900/1700/2100) will cover 3G in Italy. I have printed out Effendi's guide to prepaid GSM in Italy including the Wind and TIM sections. I have also printed out the Prepaid Data in Italy page. Finally, I have my Codice Fiscale.

We are arriving into Fiumicino and it seems that we would be best served by Wind although it seems that there are no Wind resellers in the airport. We will be in Rome the whole time. My plan is to take the train to Termini. That's what I did 10 years ago. I would consider TIM, but it seems that they only support time based billing (which I struggle to see how would ever be effective on a phone). Can you use the Internet Senza Limiti on an Android Phone?

Is there a Wind retailer in Termini? We will switch to Metro at Termini so something inside the station would be best, but close buy would not be bad either.

If anyone has any other suggestions that would be most appreciated. Also, any links would be helpful.

Thanks

[Effendi]

UMTS in Europe works on 2100 MHz, so no problem with your Nexus as long as it's unlocked, of course.

You can check Wind shops here:
Wind - Privati - - Rivenditori
it seems there's an official Wind shop at Termini station:

Negozio Wind
ROMA (RM), CAP 00185
P.zza DEI CINQUECENTO SNC c/o Stazione , Tel. 0648906274

Back to TIM: the Internet Senza Limiti of course works on an Android phone (also for tethering). I think there's probably a TIM shop there at the station too.

[kuba.g]

Originally Posted by rickh925

I would consider TIM, but it seems that they only support time based billing (which I struggle to see how would ever be effective on a phone).

They also have TIMxSMARTPHONE, which gives you a week of internet on your smartphone for €2,00. I tried it and I can recommend it!

[Effendi]

Originally Posted by kuba.g

They also have TIMxSMARTPHONE, which gives you a week of internet on your smartphone for €2,00. I tried it and I can recommend it!

It's good but you only get 250MB and you cannot use it for tethering. For high usage it's not the best option, but surely it's cheap.

[rickh925]

Originally Posted by Effendi

Back to TIM: the Internet Senza Limiti of course works on an Android phone (also for tethering). I think there's probably a TIM shop there at the station too.

Thank you. I thought that it seemed odd that a mobile plan would only (and could only) be for a computer versus a phone.

I think I'll go with TIM so that I can get the SIM at the airport and activate it before getting to Termini. That way it will be activated earlier than waiting till Termini.

How long does it usually take for TIM to activate a SIM like this?

[kuba.g]

Originally Posted by rickh925

How long does it usually take for TIM to activate a SIM like this?

When I activated mine they told me it would be one hour.
When I inserted my sim card into my phone 15 minutes after walking out of the TIM shop it was already working

[rickh925]

Originally Posted by kuba.g

When I activated mine they told me it would be one hour.
When I inserted my sim card into my phone 15 minutes after walking out of the TIM shop it was already working

Thank you. That's good to know. Did you have to do anything once you inserted the SIM? TXT anything or did the retailer do all of the activation. I just want to make sure that I have everything detailed as I don't speak very much Italian.

Rick

[kuba.g]

Nope! Although I did call the information line to check my credit before I have sent the SMS to activate TIMxSMARTPHONE.

[rickh925]

Originally Posted by Effendi

Back to TIM: the Internet Senza Limiti of course works on an Android phone (also for tethering). I think there's probably a TIM shop there at the station too.

I thought that I read someplace that the phone internet plans also include data. Does the Internet Senza Limiti include any voice minutes? If not, what do I need to add?

Right now I will add:
Internet Senza Limiti - 29E
Activation Fee - 5E (is this waived if it is a new SIM)
TIM SIM card - ???
Voice Minutes - ???

[Effendi]

TIM simcard: 10€ including 5€ of credit (you can use it for calls, SMS, etc...)
Internet Senza Limiti: 24€ for 1 month plus 5€ activation fee (could be free for new users, surely with Wind it is).

You don't add minutes, you add credit (you can refill any amount with TIM) which you can use for any need (voice calls, SMS, MMS, video calls...)