phones in Italy

(1) U.S. phones from AT&T or T-Mobile may work in Europe. They need to have the right radio frequencies (900 and 1800 mHz - check out a source such as wikipedia for GSM frequencies). These are the bands for "old-fashioned" (if there can be such a thing) cell phone calls overseas. Newer 3G services use different bands. (2) Phones from Sprint or Verizon will not work unless they are some CDMA/GSM hybrid. (3) The French phone should work, but he will be roaming on your French number which may be more expensive than if he uses an Italian cell service (by buying a SIM card in Italy). This assumes he will use the phone to call locally, not just call back to the U.S. (4) Even if the U.S. phones will work, roaming costs are steep. Getting a local SIM card will be less expensive, but requires that the phone be UNLOCKED. (5) Depending on the length of his trip and the importance of having a working phone, he may do well just to buy a phone in Italy once he gets there. (6) There are lots of alternatives (using Skype on a laptop, etc.). I'm sure others will chime in.

Bets, another option you might consider (if your French phone is unlocked) would be to purchase a SIM from one of the travel phone firms, and your husband could use that in Italy. Many of these are "post paid" plans, which means he would never "run out of minutes" when on a business call (unlike PAYG phone plans). The charges are applied to your credit card at the end of the month. For further information, check the websites for Roam Simple, Call In Europe, Cellular Abroad, Telestial or Mobal. At least one of the firms offers SIM cards for only $9. To clarify a point mentioned in the previous reply, all European Cell phones use the 900/1800 MHz frequency bands for voice calls (this is not "old fashioned" at all). Other frequency bands are used for DATA (2100 MHz), which is not a concern unless you're using a "Smart Phone", such as an IPhone or Blackberry. You MAY be able to use your U.S. Phone and you WILL be able to use your French Phone, provided both are unlocked. It WOULDN'T be a good idea to use a French phone plan in Italy, as every call will be "roaming" and more expensive than using an Italian plan. If your husband will ONLY be in Italy, I'd suggest either using one of the "travel SIM's" suggested above OR a SIM from an Italian network. Using an Italian SIM will probably be a bit more difficult due to the language difference and also the fact that he'll have to "top up" the phone when required. Hopefully this information answers your questions?