There are many ways to call to or from Italy, both by landline and internet services. Each operator has its own tariffs, so the best thing to do is to contact your operator and find out how much it costs to call from Sweden to Italy and vice versa.
Anyone calling from a fixed telephone network from Sweden to Italy must, of course, enter two zeros (or +) and then the country code - 39 - followed by the area code for each location where the recipient is, e.g. 02 for Milan.
The same applies if you are in Italy and want to call a subscriber in Sweden.
In Italy, you must always dial the area code and phone number, even if you are calling someone in the same city. All landline telephone numbers in Italy start with the digit 0, and have between 8 and 11 digits (area code + number).
More expensive calls from fixed to mobile phone numbers
Mobile phone numbers have three digits at the beginning, all starting with the digit 3 and a 6 or 7 digit phone number. Calls to mobile phones from landlines (such as in hotels) are significantly more expensive than calls to other landlines.
Italian toll-free numbers start with the number 8 and normally have nine digits (the exception is a few numbers with only six digits, e.g. the Italian post office information line is 803 160, the Italian automobile club roadside assistance is 803 116).
To use these numbers, which are often free of charge even if you call from cell phones, just dial the number as indicated without any additional prefix. Some phone numbers starting with 8 have fixed or discounted rates, but are not completely free.
It is possible to rent a mobile phone
To call from Italy to a subscription in the USA, dial: 001 + (area code) + (number).
This also applies if you plan to call a US cell phone number, regardless of where that cell phone is physically located. It is worth noting that it may not be possible to call a 1-800 phone number from Italy, even if you use an international phone card to call the US.
If you need to make an international call to another European country (e.g. France), dial: 0033 (or other country code) + (area code) + (number).
To reduce telephone costs, one option is to rent a mobile phone before departure, with a local Italian phone number, which offers lower call rates, including incoming calls free of charge. There are several companies that offer this type of service.
Some options are www.cellularabroad.com, http://www.phonerentalusa.com, http://devicecloudnetworks.com/ and www.planetfone.com. The solution offered by Cellular Abroads is specifically aimed at US and Canadian residents traveling to or living in Italy and has the best rates for calling home.
Unlocking your phone
If your phone is not unlocked, you can always choose a local prepaid SIM card that can also be used for international calls to avoid expensive roaming charges.
If your mobile phone does not support other operators, apart from the company you bought it from, you can unlock it via an online provider, such as www.sim-unlock.net or www.unlockunit.com.
Prepaid phone cards that can be used to make calls from payphones can be purchased at electronics stores, tobacco shops (tabacchi), newsagents and bars. However, payphones are becoming less and less common as more and more Italians use cell phones.
You can rent a mobile at major airports, although many long-term visitors choose to buy a cheap mobile phone for less than €80 and a SIM card from one of the three mobile phone providers (TIM, Vodafone and Wind).
To find phone numbers in Italy, you can visit the websites: https://www.paginebianche.it/ and https://www.paginegialle.it/.
Make free calls via apps
In addition to fixed and mobile phone numbers, free (or low-cost) calls are also possible via various applications for digital platforms such as mobile phones and tablets. In order for the call to be free, both the caller and the recipient of the call must have the same software installed. Two options are Skype and WhatsApp.
More information on the services they offer can be found on their websites: https://www.skype.com/sv/ and https://www.whatsapp.com/?l=sv.
Skype also allows you to call landlines and mobile phone subscriptions. It can be downloaded for virtually all operating systems, such as Android, iPhone, Windows and Linux.
The same applies to the WhatsUp application. That application can also be used for calls to fixed and mobile phones.
Other apps with similar features are Slack: https://slack.com/ and Viber: https://www.viber.com/.
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