Bringing a telephone from the UK

Not that we use a landline much for phone calls, but I was surprised at the cost of a phone with "segreteria" in Italy.  Is there any reason why a UK phone wouldn't work plugged in to the Italian system?  The "plugs" look identical......

None they work fine, we brought our Philips phone out as it had 3 hand sets and it work fine. Can even sit down the way in the garden 50m away and speak to the family...  

I have had Samsung galaxy s1, 2 and 3 phones (unlocked by my supplier) and used them with an Italian sim card without problems. I also used as hotspots for internet access - most smartphones are able to do this.

This year I purchased a quad core Chinese android phone from amazon with 2 sim card slots and was able to use my uk sim and Italian sim. I work for myself and it's so much better when you can communicate with UK.

How does a dual sim phone work?  Does it just have an extra slot where you can keep the second sim card (and you switch them round to use the one you want in the connected slot) or does each slot connect with the phone and you select the one you want to use via the keypad?

Carciofo wrote:How does a dual sim phone work?  Does it just have an extra slot where you can keep the second sim card (and you switch them round to use the one you want in the connected slot) or does each slot connect with the phone and you select the one you want to use via the keypad?

There are various different types, some automatically connected to 2 networks and others where you ave to switch...

Any idea how you know which one is which from an eBay listing?

This looks like it covers the different type (there are a few)... Wiki LINK

Carciofo wrote:How does a dual sim phone work?  Does it just have an extra slot where you can keep the second sim card (and you switch them round to use the one you want in the connected slot) or does each slot connect with the phone and you select the one you want to use via the keypad?

Yes there are 2 slots, I normally only use only one in UK but in Italy I fit the Vodafone Italia sim as well, when you switch the phone on it asks you what card you want the data connection on or you can change the settings in the sim management app.
when you dial a number you get 2 different colour dial buttons so you can choose which sim to use - of course you can receive calls on either sim.


Carciofo

This is the phone I purchased - I like it better than my S3 which costs 4 times more:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00D54H54W/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Well I have an ancient Apple 3GS iPhone on Vodaphone which is complete useless up our Italian hill.  No service, day in and day out.

As far as I'm concerned this is great   

I really don't need to be interrupted by people trying to sell me double glazing or telling me my computer has a serious virus that only they can remove (at a cost, of course!).

We have email, which we can deal with as and when we want.  As against someone ringing you when you're in the middle of doing something much more important like opening a bottle of vino rosso or serving up a delicious dinner you've spent hours preparing.

Luckily most businesses in Italy are now on email.  So, think very carefully, do you really want or need a landline or a dual-SIM mobile?  

Ah but Ghiro, you might want to ring out.