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TIM Cards in Eastern Europe

I will be traveling in Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia and plan to use my T-moble phone there. May I use a TIM card purchased in Italy in those countries or must I get a new one in each country I plan to visit?

Posted by
470 posts

I'm assuming you mean a SIM card? Yes, you can use the same one everywhere, but since Croatia and Bosnia aren't in the EU and you'd be using an Italian card, the roaming costs would be huge. I'd recommend getting one SIM card for Italy and Slovenia and another for Croatia and Bosnia.

Posted by
4 posts

Actually my friend got the card in Italy for the TIM system if I understand it correctly. Thank you for this information.

Posted by
470 posts

TIM is a service provider in Italy, much like AT&T or Verizon in the US.

Posted by
11294 posts

I see the confusion. TIM, as said above, is Telecom Italia Mobile, a major Italian mobile phone company. SIM stands for "subscriber identity module." It is the brain of a phone that uses the GSM system. All of Europe uses this system. In the US, T-Mobile and AT&T use it; Sprint and Verizon do not. A SIM card is a fingernail-sized chip you put into a GSM phone. It is the "brain" of the phone, and determines the carrier and the number. When you take a T-Mobile phone, take out the T-Mobile SIM, and put in a TIM SIM, you now have a TIM phone, with an Italian phone number and TIM's rates. You must make sure your T-Mobile phone is unlocked, or else only a T-Mobile SIM will work (an unlocked phone will work with any SIM). You must also make sure your phone is quad band. US GSM phones use two frequencies, 850 and 1900, while European GSM phones use two other frequencies, 900 and 1800. A phone can have 1, 2, 3 or all 4 bands. A triband phone may work in Europe, but a quadband is a much better bet. A TIM plan should work in the countries you want to visit, but you will be roaming, at higher rates. Roaming within the EU, the rates are capped. Roaming outside the EU, they are not, and can be very high. That's why Dejan is recommending you get a local SIM, which will have domestic rates. There's also the issue of topping up. You won't be able to get TIM top-up cards outside Italy, so unless you can set up on-line top ups (and I've had trouble with this), you will have to buy a new local SIM once you run out of credit.

Posted by
32173 posts

Annette, As Harold mentioned, you MUST ensure that your T-Mobile phone is unlocked, or you won't be able to use ANY other SIM cards in it. If your phone IS unlocked, you could also use a travel SIM. With that you'd have fairly consistent rates in all three countries and no worries about topping up, as many of the travel phone firms use post-paid billing (calls charged to a credit card). This also means that you'd be able to use the same phone number for your entire trip. Keep in mind that the number changes each time you change to a different SIM card. If you need the names of some of the travel phone firms, post another note. Happy travels!

Posted by
1 posts

I read on another forum that non-Italian travelers have been unable to buy Italian SIM cards while in Italy. Previously people were asked to present their passports, but more recently they were unable to purchase the cards at all. This presents a big problem for those of us who travel to Italy expecting to be able to purchase a local SIM to use during our time there. Has anyone experienced this or heard about it? I leave for Italy in 5 weeks, and will order a TIM card through Telestial if there is an issue with foreigners purchasing sim cards in Italy. I would prefer to avoid this though, because a TIM card through Telestial is much more expensive (and if I recall correctly from past experience, you need to use a pin code each time you use the phone, and if you screw up the code you can't use the phone). Thanks.

Posted by
32173 posts

@Donna-Sue, I've also heard that it's becoming difficult for non-citizens of Italy to purchase SIM cards there without a Codice Fiscale or other permits. However, the rules seem to be randomly applied, so some travellers have purchased a card without any problems. The safest approach is probably to go with the "travel SIM" from Telestial or one of the other travel phone firms - Roam Simple, Cellular Abroad, Call In Europe, Mobal, TruPhone, EuroBuzz or BrightRoam. That's what I've been doing for the last few years. Happy travels!

Posted by
470 posts

You can easily buy a prepaird SIM card in Slovenia at any gas station, kiosk, supermarket, etc. without providing any personal information, as is the case in Italy. Since Annette doesn't mention travelling to Italy on this trip, she can easily buy one in Slovenia if she doesn't bring the Italian card along. Actually in that case it's even easier since she wouldn't pay any roaming charges in Slovenia at all.

Posted by
4 posts

Thanks for all of your information on my question. I learned that I have a 2-band phone so the frequency will not work in the countries I'm visiting. I will likely use a phone card or borrow a phone there.