Finding a Broadband Provider in Italy

Twenty years ago, the idea that you couldn’t survive without the internet was a strange prospect. Nowadays, however, we’re connected all the time: chatting to friends on Facebook, emailing documents to clients and contacts, checking newswires and weather forecasts. Moving to a new country can be daunting when it comes to choosing a broadband provider who can actually deliver a fast service without too many hidden charges.

Unfortunately for those who don’t speak the language, the vast majority of ISPs’ websites are written in Italian. In terms of choices available, the range of services are much the same as they are in the UK or US: wireless, cable, DSL and dial-up are the four options to choose from. Of course, dial-up isn’t ideal and if you’re moving to a remote area you’ll need to check that broadband is available and that speeds aren’t prohibitively low. In general, however, you’ll find a similar speed of service to those you’re used to elsewhere; the infrastructure is well-developed and connection problems are relatively few. Now all you need to do is choose where your bills will be coming from, and when everything is new and confusing, that is easier said than done. We’ve put together an overview of some of the available services.

The first thing to check before you even move to the country is that your area has a phone network; some rural places still don’t. If there are phone sockets in the house you’re looking at, then you’re probably OK. The next step is to search for internet services nearby; most Italian websites will refer to broadband as ADSL, though some will use the term banda larga...

http://www.expatfocus.com/c/aid=1302/articles/italy/finding-a-broadband-provider-in-italy/