I just returned from Italy and want to report my experience with Vodafone Italy and their unlocked microsim offerings.
Plans
There are two plans available:
-- 3GB for 30 days (15 euros) at 14.4Mbps maximum speed
-- 7GB for 30 days (25 euros) at 43.2Mbps maximum speed
The microsim card itself costs an extra 5 euros, so my total cost was 30 euros.
Purchase/Installation
I found a Vodafone store in Milan (via Orefici 2) where the staff was quite knowledgable about selling a microsim for iPhones/iPads. The salesperson had to fill out a form that includes passport number and identity information. REMEMBER: YOU HAVE TO SUPPLY YOUR PASSPORT! Then she told me not to put the microsim in my iPad until after noon the next day, due to network provisioning.
I put it in around 12:30 and it worked flawlessly right away, without having to "change the APN" or put the microsim in another phone as some online posts suggested was needed in the past.
Performance
I was glad I opted for the costlier option, because I noticed right away that the speed was simply blazing. I know that AT&T provides lousy service in the U.S. but when my apps popped onscreen so fast I was amazed that 3G performance in Italy could be faster than 4G (LTE) stateside.
So I decided to test my iPad connection speed and here's what I got in downtown Milan:
Now compare that 16Mbps to my last Comcast cable speed test on my Mac which was 26Mbps.
Regional Performance
As you might suspect, major cities reception is very strong, here's what I found:
Once you experience mind-boggling 3G speed on your iPad everywhere while traveling you just have such a much better time navigating foreign locales. I used this service so extensively, like using Google Maps all the way from Milan to Cinque Terra that I recommend you spring for the 7GB plan, you won't regret it.
What you will regret is realizing that America's cellphone service royally sucks.
Plans
There are two plans available:
-- 3GB for 30 days (15 euros) at 14.4Mbps maximum speed
-- 7GB for 30 days (25 euros) at 43.2Mbps maximum speed
The microsim card itself costs an extra 5 euros, so my total cost was 30 euros.
Purchase/Installation
I found a Vodafone store in Milan (via Orefici 2) where the staff was quite knowledgable about selling a microsim for iPhones/iPads. The salesperson had to fill out a form that includes passport number and identity information. REMEMBER: YOU HAVE TO SUPPLY YOUR PASSPORT! Then she told me not to put the microsim in my iPad until after noon the next day, due to network provisioning.
I put it in around 12:30 and it worked flawlessly right away, without having to "change the APN" or put the microsim in another phone as some online posts suggested was needed in the past.
Performance
I was glad I opted for the costlier option, because I noticed right away that the speed was simply blazing. I know that AT&T provides lousy service in the U.S. but when my apps popped onscreen so fast I was amazed that 3G performance in Italy could be faster than 4G (LTE) stateside.
So I decided to test my iPad connection speed and here's what I got in downtown Milan:
Now compare that 16Mbps to my last Comcast cable speed test on my Mac which was 26Mbps.
Regional Performance
As you might suspect, major cities reception is very strong, here's what I found:
- Milan -- Great performance, four or five 3G bars everywhere.
- Sta. Margherita Ligure -- Weaker performance, 1-2 3G bars, but still great performance.
- Capri -- Stronger on the ferry landing side of the island, weaker on the south side, but much better than Hotel Luna's crappy Wi-Fi.
- Rome -- As you might expect, strong signal everywhere.
Once you experience mind-boggling 3G speed on your iPad everywhere while traveling you just have such a much better time navigating foreign locales. I used this service so extensively, like using Google Maps all the way from Milan to Cinque Terra that I recommend you spring for the 7GB plan, you won't regret it.
What you will regret is realizing that America's cellphone service royally sucks.