Calling in Italy

Telephoning in Italy, radio data transmission, roaming, charges and important numbers

The area code for Italy is: 0039 Area code for Germany is: 0049

If you call within Italy, then dial the "0" of the area code in the fixed network. If you are calling from Italy to Germany, then suppress the "0" of the area code and dial 0049. It's the same principle as in Germany.

Italian phone cards can be bought in any tabaccheria (a mixture of a small café and kiosk).

Emergency numbers:

For all Emergencies the number applies 112!

The obsolete numbers 113, 115 or 118 still work and are automatically forwarded to 112.

First aid (regional):

Telephoning with the mobile phone:

Thanks to EU roaming, you can use your mobile phone in Italy as if you were at home without being charged extra for using the Italian mobile network. You can make and receive calls, send and receive SMS, and use mobile data without worrying about high roaming charges.

However, it should be noted that EU roaming only applies to temporary travel within the EU. If you live in another country and are permanently resident in an EU country, roaming charges may still apply. In addition, some restrictions may apply, such as possible throttling of the mobile data volume in the event of high consumption. It is therefore advisable to check the specific terms of your mobile phone contract and the availability of EU roaming before traveling abroad.

We no longer provide an overview of the various providers here, as the large number of contracts meanwhile makes standardization difficult.

Traveling through Switzerland can lead to high mobile phone bills

If you make calls or surf the Internet in Switzerland with a German mobile phone contract, you usually have to pay roaming charges. These can already occur when your smartphone is called, or simply checks in the background whether a new Whatsapp message has arrived.

Roaming charges can be very high as your German mobile operator has to pay a fee to the Swiss mobile operator. These costs are then passed on to you, usually as higher charges for calls, texts and data.

There are various ways to avoid roaming costs. Some cell phone providers offer special tariffs or options that allow cheaper roaming charges or even free use abroad. Another option is to use Wi-Fi networks to make calls over the Internet instead of cellular networks.

The elimination of roaming costs in Italy

The EU has been working to make phone calls between EU member states cheaper.

So have been since July 1, 2012 that Cell phone call costs from EU country to EU country maximal now 35 cents per minute (including VAT, i.e. gross!) has fallen. Most telecommunications companies will stay very close to this amount, so this number is a good guide. Sending SMS has been said to be cheaper than in Germany in some cases since July 2012 at 11 cents (gross) per SMS.

From May 1, 2016 mobile operators have lowered their prices again in accordance with an EU regulation - telecommunications providers are then only allowed a maximum of 6 cents per minute for calls, 2 cents per SMS or 6 cents per megabyte for data tariffs in other EU countries as additional fee request (all prices including VAT). Overall, however, a minute of conversation must not cost more than 23 cents. From 2017, there should be no more price differences for roaming in EU member states such as Italy.

From June 15, 2017 Roaming charges have now been definitively abolished. In plain terms, this means that the fees incurred when using the services of another telecommunications provider are now capped and, for example, phone calls will be significantly cheaper, with a maximum charge of 3,2 cents per minute (as a surcharge from the other provider). Data roaming charges are also expected to fall, from €7,70 per gigabyte on June 15, 2017, to €2,50 per GB in 2022. Critics, however, point out that many phone companies will recoup the lost revenue in the future by adjusting mobile phone contracts. We shall see.

Beware of 0180 numbers

DANGER! Whenever possible, avoid using numbers that begin with 0180 in Italy. It is possible that EU law does not apply here and you have to pay a high amount per minute.

Further information is available here:
www.billiger-telefonieren.de
www.teltarif.de

To avoid so-called "shock bills," you as a customer have the right to agree with your provider on a minimum amount at which the call should be automatically terminated. Furthermore, all mobile phone calls must be billed to the second after the first half minute.

Last updated: 23.11.2024