The destiny of the fiber residential subscriber is more of a shipwreck than a navigation in the sweet sea of the Web. Rates are discounted to avoid short-term cancellations, real performance is an unknown factor, footnotes a certainty. However, there is a way to keep the bar straight and identify the ideal subscription for your needs, also because according to the latest Desi 2022 report of the EU Commission, the fiber coverage of Italian households is 44.2%. In practice, in most large and medium-sized urban agglomerations there are ultrabroadband services that can be activated and moreover the rates are slightly lower than the European average.
Instructions for Use
First of all, when we talk about fiber we only mean those services where an optical fiber reaches your apartment and therefore in a room, exactly from a bushing, a “luminous spaghetti” peeps out. The technician then connects it to an intermediate box (Ont – Optical network terminal) or directly to the modem-router.
Obviously this architecture called FTTH, or fiber-to-the-home (trad. Fiber-a-casa), is less widespread than the so-called Fttc, or fiber-to-the-cabinet. The second, which relies on fiber to the wardrobe and copper to the home, according to Agcom, is used by more than one in two subscribers. To find out if you are covered by one technology rather than another, simply query the online pages of the various providers: there is always a search string where you can type your address and get the response; alternatively you can call the call centers. Or just take a look at Agcom’s Broadband Map portal.
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Then it must be considered that the promised fiber performances tend to be true. Usually FTTH offers are up to 1 Gbps (gigabit per second) in download, but you rarely hit exactly that top speed. In any case, this performance order allows you to download a 1 gigabyte file (maybe a movie) in about 8 seconds. If we talk about streaming, then for example the use of services such as Netflix, there is no need to worry because 0.025 Gbps is enough to manage the maximum resolution (4k), or 25 Megabits per second. So what are these blazing speeds for? To allow more people from a household to continue their digital activities without side effects or slowdowns: one child may be playing online multiplayer on the Playstation, another is watching YouTube, the mother is on a videoconference for work, the father is watching a movie streaming on TV, the grandmother scrolls the RaiPlay Tech Rai on the tablet, etc.
Contracts have become more transparent over time. Archived the aberration of billing at 28 days, today there is a classic monthly billing and contracts of at least two years – with exceptions. If he parades before he is forced to pay the discounts he enjoyed (here is the game of crossed out figures) and withdrawal costs. As for the modem-router, today there is no longer the obligation to use that of the operators, but if you decide to choose it during the cancellation phase, it is usually enough to return it. Another important detail is that converging offers, ie those where residential and mobile services of the same operator are combined, allow you to enjoy strong discounts; It is also good to consider that online subscriptions are usually cheaper than in-store ones.
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The node of the infrastructures
Finally, it is good to be clear about the infrastructures available in the country. 70% of Italian FTTH customers travel on Open Fiber’s wholesale networks, while the rest on TIM’s networks and marginally on those of Fastweb and other operators, especially local ones. According to the latest Agcom bulletin of August 1st, fiber accesses in Italy reached 2.82 million units out of a total of 18.67 million which include ADSL, fixed wireless and copper-fiber. The main consumer fiber operators are Fastweb (23.4%), Vodafone (22.5%), Wind Tre (21.6%), Tim (21.4%) and Sky Italia (4.6%). Obviously there are hundreds, if not thousands of other operators in the area, but recently Iliad and Virgin Fibra have especially attracted attention. The first, after the launch of the residential offer in January, declared that it had reached 68 thousand subscribers; the second instead inaugurated the services in August.
The offers of the operators
In selecting the best offers from operators, we focused on those that include residential telephony or not, putting aside converging packages or those enhanced exclusively with other services.
Fastweb
Fastweb Casa Light is a fiber service that offers up to 2.5 Gbps in download and 300 Mbps in upload, calls to national landlines and mobile phones at 15 cents / min, the FastGate modem router and Fastweb Digital Academy courses. The price is 25.95 euros per month and activation is included. The Fastweb Casa subscription is similar but offers unlimited calls and the new generation NeXXT modem-router with Wi-Fi 6, a sort of smart speaker with the Alexa voice assistant. The price is € 28.95 per month and also in this case the activation is included.
An important detail is that the 2.5 Gbps are cumulative since the integrated ports of the routers allow you to manage a maximum of 1 Gbps via cable. The latest generation Wi-Fi 6 could theoretically allow you to reach higher thresholds but smartphones, tablets and other portable devices even if equipped with the same standard hardly go that far.
He more. Fastweb offers 30 days from activation to change your mind and request the deactivation of the fixed line. All costs incurred in the first month are reimbursed.
Vodafone
Vodafone Internet Unlimited is a fiber service that offers up to 2.5 Gbps in download and 500 Mbps in upload, unlimited minutes to national landlines and mobile phones, and a Wi-Fi 6 modem router. The price is € 27.90 per month. and activation is included. It should be emphasized that also in this case the 2.5 Gbps are cumulative since the physical ports of the router support a maximum of 1 Gbps; for Wi-Fi the same goes for Fastweb.
He more. 500 Mbps upload performance significantly speeds up the performance of sending large files.
Wind Tre
Wind Super Fibra is a fiber service that offers up to 1 Gbps in download and 200 Mbps in upload, unlimited minutes to national landlines and mobile phones, and a Wi-Fi 6 modem router. consumer profiles the bonus of unlimited mobile traffic and 12 months of subscription to Amazon Prime. The price is € 26.90 per month, while the activation fee is € 19.99. In the white areas there is an upload threshold of up to 300 Mbps, but the activation cost rises to 99.99 euros, which can be paid in installments at 3.99 euros / month for 24 months.
It should be emphasized that Wind Tre provides for the payment of the connectivity service (21 euros) for the first 48 months combined with the modem installment (5.99 euros), after which you continue to pay only the service at 26.90 euros. Therefore, in the event of early withdrawal or transfer to another operator, the payment, as a deactivation fee, of an amount equal to one month of the service fee and in addition the installments due for the modem will be paid.
He More. It caters to families and offers several side bonuses.
Tim
Tim Premium is a fiber service up to 1 Gbps in download and 300 Mbps in upload, with pay-as-you-go calls (19 cents per click and 19 cents per minute). It costs 24.90 euros per month, while the activation from 10 euros per month is included for 24 months, so if you cancel before you are forced to pay the remaining months. TIM WiFi Power Smart for 29.90 euros per month also offers the Tim Hub + modem router, unlimited calls (if activated online), security software and one year of UnipolSai home insurance. In this case there is no activation fee but the modem is included at 10 euros per month for 24 months, so if you cancel before you are forced to pay the remaining months.
TIM WiFi Power All Inclusive offers in 30 municipalities – including Palermo, Cagliari, Bari, Naples, Rome, Turin and Milan – the possibility of activating a fiber service up to 10 Gbps in download and 2 Gbps in upload. The price is 34.90 euros per month (until 31 October) and includes unlimited calls to landlines and mobile phones, navigation protection service and 4G backup service via USB key with mobile SIM that ensures continuity of the connection in case of unavailability of the fixed connection. In addition, the modem router is offered at 5 euros per month for 48 months, while the activation cost is 19.90 euros. This is one of the few services that potentially ensures real 10 Gbps, rather than just cumulative, but you have to make sure you have a computer equipped with an adequate ethernet card.
He More. The 10 Gbps service is a unique performance in the Italian panorama.
Sky Italia
Sky WiFi is a residential offer in fiber which for 24.90 euros per month offers a service of up to 1 Gbps in download and 200 Mbps in upload, modem-router and pay-as-you-go calls. Activation costs 29 euros. After 18 months, however, the price rises to € 29.90 per month. The unlimited voice option is free for the first 18 months and then costs 5 euros per month.
Plus. The ideal solution to combine with Sky’s (discounted) television packages
Iliad
Iliad Fibra costs € 24.99 per month and offers unlimited calls to landlines, mobile phones and 60 international destinations, voicemail, as well as the modem router on free loan. As regards the performance of the service, it ensures 5 Gbps in download and 700 Mbps in upload in all cities where coverage is planned, with the exception of Milan, Turin and Bologna where, due to the different technology used (although always fiber), the download speed is up to 1 Gbps, while the upload one is 300 Mbps. The 5 Gbps are cumulative anyway since the router offers up to 2.5 Gbps on 1 Ethernet port, up to 1 Ggps on 2 Ethernet ports, and up to 1 Ggbps in Wifi. The installation costs 39.99 euros.
He More. It does not foresee tariff increases over time.
Virgin Fibra
Virgin Fiber costs 26.99 euros per month (until October 31, then 29.49) and provides a service up to 1 Gbps in download and 300 Mbps in upload, Wi-Fi modem-router 6 and three months free of Active Revolution online training service. The activation fee is € 19.99.
He More. Rate blocked forever.