Italy Magazine Forums

rosietat · #1 (**permalink**) 30-05-08, 08:12 PM

Can anyone tell me how much a new fixed line telephone from Telecom will be? I have asked the agency who sold me my house to ask for a connection as I understand that Telecom are not very sympathetic to non fluent speakers. There are telephone poles in the neighbours garden although he no longer has a land line phone so there will be no major costs involved I hope.
I have been using a plug-in moblie (TIM) but the signal is so weak I cannot use it for Skype this year and the plug in won't work in my new Vista laptop (does anything work with Vista?), so I feel it is time to get a proper phone.
Rosietat

NickZ · #2 (**permalink**) 31-05-08, 06:44 AM

They charged me 96 Euros but I ordered over the net. Not sure if that makes a difference.

il cacciatore · #3 (**permalink**) 31-05-08, 11:30 AM

Hello There,
My first question is do you have an old telephone line or is it a completely new line?
If its a old one being replaced the cost will be minimal not more than at couple of hundred euros a most.
If it's a completely new line across another's property then you could be talking more than a thousand euros.
Also be prepared for a long wait we had to wait for over two years for a completely new line as one of the landowners refused to allow our telephone line to cross their property. In the end they had to be taken to court.
Good luck!

Quote:

Originally Posted by rosietat

Can anyone tell me how much a new fixed line telephone from Telecom will be? I have asked the agency who sold me my house to ask for a connection as I understand that Telecom are not very sympathetic to non fluent speakers. There are telephone poles in the neighbours garden although he no longer has a land line phone so there will be no major costs involved I hope.
I have been using a plug-in moblie (TIM) but the signal is so weak I cannot use it for Skype this year and the plug in won't work in my new Vista laptop (does anything work with Vista?), so I feel it is time to get a proper phone.
Rosietat

herealready · #4 (**permalink**) 31-05-08, 01:34 PM

my house is in the middle of a field at the end of a dirt track, it cost nearly 600 euros, 3 years ago, I got an italian friend to challenge this cost as there had previously been a phone at the property and it only took half an hour to connect me, but no joy. as i am a long way from the exchange i had to pay.
I think they make it up as they go along so good luck!

IRITALIA · #5 (**permalink**) 01-06-08, 12:50 PM

My family home was unoccupied for many years as most of the older members had passed away and no one from my generation had any real interest apart from me. After several years I managed to buy my relatives out and it was at last mine.
On one corner of the house Telecom had attached some sort of cable which I assume is an earth cable which runs right down the wall and into the ground.
I was told this was 'abuso della casa' and the cable should be removed as it was done without permission.

A chap from telecom duly came and had a look and after he spoke with the builder and my power of attorney a solution was found.
They would remove the cable from the wall, put a small post at a far corner outside the house and implant the cable right through my garden and run it into my cellar.
Well it would be out of sight and perhaps I would get reduced rental or a free new phone line for letting them do this in my property.

No, not only did I have to pay for the line connection but I had to pay for all the work to relocate the bloody cable which shouldn't have been there in the first place. €2962 it cost me.

rosietat · #6 (**permalink**) 02-06-08, 05:36 PM

yes it a new line. It sounds an outragous price as well as the time one has to wait. I hope since an old line goes to an adjoining property that I won't have to pay so much. Since I have limited funds this year maybe it would be a good thing to wait 3 years!!!
Rosietat

English teacher · #7 (**permalink**) 02-06-08, 08:27 PM

Unless you really, really need a land line, think hard about it. Not only are the costs of installing the line totally up to the whims of Telecom Italia (and their default seems to be to fleece the customer), but the line rentals are also expensive.

If you can't get ADSL, forget about Skype. We've got (supposedly) TIM mobile broadband, but the signal is still too weak for Skype. If you're in a town, you'll probably do much better, but if you're out in the sticks, then technology is hit and miss.

Skichi · #8 (**permalink**) 02-06-08, 09:48 PM

There really doesn't appear to be any fixed & hard rule. We had a new line installed & we know from the installation guys (who were wonderful throughout) that it involved 38 NEW poles. Some were old ones that needed replacement, whilst over half were brand new ones. Once they'd obtained the various permissions, it happened quite quickly & the cost: Eur 690 inc IVA! Total time from ordering to installed was approximately 5 months.

janetta · #9 (**permalink**) 04-06-08, 04:07 PM

we paid 900E for one hour's work to take down a line and put in a new wire into the house... the exchange is 5 km away but no poles were needed - just a lot of money. It does work but yet another unxpected cost.

rosietat · #10 (**permalink**) 04-06-08, 08:46 PM

I presume if I have a fixed line telephone that I can get ADSL, but perhaps that is not the case. I am not in a town but only a few minutes away from one. Where abouts are you in Italy, English Teacher? I have a TIM mobile but not broadband and sometimes the signal is OK, but as we are 500m up if there is low cloud, the signal is hopeless.
Rosietat