Internet in Italy: The Regulator Measured 331 Mbps, But Budget Brands Are Capped at 30

Conclusion first: internet in Italy is not a question of fast or slow. It is a question of which number applies to you. The regulator AGCOM measured an average of about 331 Mbps down across 45 cities, but that figure covers only the five operators that run their own networks. The budget brands travellers are most often pointed toward carry a separate, contractually fixed speed cap that the regulator itself publishes. And the old requirement to show ID for public Wi-Fi was abolished by law in 2013.

If you want data working the moment you land, an eSIM set up before departure removes the problem entirely. Coral eSIM's Italy plans let you pick a data allowance that matches your trip length.

Italy's mobile speeds are published by the regulator, not guessed at

AGCOM runs drive tests in 45 cities every year

Italy has something unusual: a telecoms regulator that measures the networks itself and publishes the results. Under resolution 23/23/CONS, AGCOM commissions the independent Fondazione Ugo Bordoni to run drive tests across 45 Italian cities. The 2025 campaign ran from September to December, and the report was published on 23 February 2026.

The headline averages:

• Static measurements: around 331 Mbps down / 58 Mbps up
• Urban mobile measurements: around 269 Mbps down / 54 Mbps up

Measurements follow a "best technology" principle at each test point, so 5G is included where available. You do not need to plan your trip around the assumption that Italy is slow. That is now a measured fact rather than an impression.

The numbers vary by city, but not in the way people assume

Static results for the major cities in the 2025 campaign:

The spread between fastest and slowest is roughly 1.5x, and every one of these figures is comfortably enough for video, maps and live translation. Note also that the "north is fast, south is unusable" cliche does not survive contact with the data: Bari is the fastest city measured, and Palermo sits above Naples.

These numbers apply to five operators only

This is the caveat that decides everything else. AGCOM measures only operators that reach at least 50% population coverage on their own infrastructure. For the 2025 campaign that meant Fastweb, Iliad, TIM, Vodafone and Wind Tre.

If your connection does not run on one of those five networks under their own terms, 331 Mbps is not your number. And most of the cheap options a traveller encounters at a kiosk or online are not those five operators selling directly.

If you are already in Italy and data feels slow, why eSIM data runs slowly and how to fix it walks through the diagnosis. Setting up an Italy plan before you fly removes the guesswork.

Italy's budget brands have published contractual speed caps

The regulator lists the caps by brand

This is the part almost no travel article covers. Resolution 23/23/CONS also requires AGCOM to publish, for every MVNO and major sub-brand, which network it runs on, which generations it can use, and any contractual speed limit. The table is refreshed every six months. The entries that matter to travellers:

The 331 Mbps Italy and the 30 Mbps Italy exist side by side. The cap is not congestion or weak signal. It is a number written into the wholesale contract, and a full signal bar will not push you past it.

"It runs on a major network" is not a useful test

AGCOM's own footnotes are blunt about this: Kena is a brand sold by TIM, and VERY MOBILE is a brand sold by Wind Tre. Neither is even an MVNO. Both are still capped at 30 Mbps.

So choosing by host network tells you nothing about the speed you will get. The two right-hand columns of that table are the ones that decide your experience.

Several budget brands cannot use 5G at all

Read the "generations" column and a second pattern appears: ho.mobile, Kena, VERY MOBILE and Lycamobile list no 5G. AGCOM's drive tests include 5G, but these brands cannot reach the technology being measured.

Because the table is updated twice a year, always confirm the current terms on each brand's own site before you travel. The figures here reflect the table as checked on 13 August 2026.

Do not bring a handset that depends on 3G

The same table shows something else. Brands hosted on TIM and Vodafone Italia are listed as 2G-4G, with no 3G at all. Only some Wind Tre-hosted brands still list it.

An older handset, or one without VoLTE for voice over 4G, can therefore show bars and still fail to work properly. Check your device first with how to confirm eSIM device compatibility and whether your phone needs to be unlocked.

Free Wi-Fi in Italy does not require ID

The identification requirement was repealed in 2013

English-language guides still tell travellers that Italian public Wi-Fi demands a passport. That has not been true since 2013. Article 10 of decree-law 69 of 21 June 2013 states explicitly that offering internet access to the public over Wi-Fi "does not require the personal identification of users". It took effect on 21 August 2013.

The same article also removes such providers from the scope of Article 25 of the electronic communications code (259/2003) and Article 7 of the 2005 anti-terrorism law (144/2005) when internet access is not their main commercial activity. In plain terms, a cafe or hotel does not have to register as a telecoms operator to offer Wi-Fi. That is the legal reason Italian hospitality Wi-Fi became widespread.

No ID requirement is not the same as safe

The flip side of the 2013 liberalisation is that anyone can stand up an access point, including one named after the cafe you are sitting in. Nothing in the rules prevents it. The risks of public Wi-Fi abroad and how to reduce them covers what to do about that.

The national "WiFi Italia" network runs through an app, not an SSID

You install an app rather than hunt for a network name

Italy runs a nationwide free Wi-Fi programme led by the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT). Network build-out was assigned to Infratel Italia on 23 January 2019 and is carried out by TIM.

What makes it distinctive is the access model: instead of picking an SSID, you install an app that connects your device automatically to the wifi.italia.it network. After the first registration you are not asked to authenticate again in another town, and existing municipal networks are folded in through a federated system.

"All 7,900 municipalities" is the target, not the current state

Infratel describes free hotspots "in all 7,900 Italian municipalities". The live counters on the official site say something more modest. As displayed on 13 August 2026:

• Participating municipalities and public bodies: 4,761
• Hotspots installed: 24,875
• Registered users: 581,686

That is roughly 60% of the target in coverage and an average of about five hotspots per participating municipality. A further 5,000 access points have been rolling out in healthcare facilities since March 2020. This is not a density that will carry a tourist itinerary.

Registration has a built-in obstacle for visitors

The official instructions offer two routes: a three-step registration, or signing in through SPID, Italy's public digital identity system. SPID is not something a short-term visitor obtains, so in practice the three-step registration is the only path.

The app's map shows hotspot locations offline, but connecting still requires being physically near one. Do not count on it for your first connection at the airport. What to do when your data does not work on arrival is worth reading before you fly.

Three decisions to make before you land

1. Decide which network you will actually be on. Riding one of the five measured operators is a different experience from a 30 Mbps-capped brand. Buying a SIM at the airport versus using an eSIM compares the purchase routes
2. Check your handset. With 3G absent from most listings, a device without VoLTE is a real risk
3. Do not make free Wi-Fi your primary plan. It is legally easy to use, but the state programme is nowhere near dense enough. eSIM versus pocket Wi-Fi helps you settle on an always-on option

Travelling as a group? Check whether your eSIM allows tethering. Visiting other EU countries on the same trip? See international roaming versus eSIM.

FAQ

How fast is mobile internet in Italy?

In drive tests run by the regulator AGCOM across 45 cities between September and December 2025, static measurements averaged about 331 Mbps down and 58 Mbps up, and urban mobile measurements about 269 Mbps down and 54 Mbps up. Those figures cover only the five operators with at least 50% population coverage on their own infrastructure: Fastweb, Iliad, TIM, Vodafone and Wind Tre. Budget brands carry separate contractual caps.

Do I need ID or a passport to use free Wi-Fi in Italy?

No. Article 10 of decree-law 69 of 21 June 2013 states that offering public internet access over Wi-Fi does not require personal identification of users. It took effect on 21 August 2013, so any guide telling you to carry ID for Wi-Fi is describing the pre-2013 regime. Individual hotels and cafes may still ask for an email address or room number as their own house rule.

Can tourists use the national "WiFi Italia" network?

It requires the official app. Registration is either a three-step process or a login through SPID, Italy's public digital identity system, which short-term visitors cannot obtain. As of 13 August 2026 the official counters showed 4,761 participating municipalities and 24,875 hotspots, short of the 7,900-municipality target. Treat it as a bonus, not as your main connection.

Why is my cheap Italian SIM so slow?

It may be a contractual cap rather than poor signal. AGCOM's published MVNO table lists ho.mobile, Kena and VERY MOBILE at 30 Mbps and Lycamobile at 60 Mbps. Kena is sold by TIM and VERY MOBILE by Wind Tre, so running on a major network does not lift the cap. The table is updated every six months.

Will an Italian SIM work in other EU countries?

A line from an EU-based provider is charged at domestic rates across EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Moldova and Ukraine. Fair use policies apply: in 2025 the surcharge ceiling was EUR 1.30 per GB plus VAT, falling to EUR 1 plus VAT from 2027. Travel plans sold by providers outside the EU are not covered by that regime, so check the country list per product.

In Italy the right question is not "how fast" but "which number applies to me"

Italy is one of the few countries where the regulator publishes both annual measured speeds for 45 cities and the contractual speed caps imposed on budget brands. Everything you need to decide is already public. The impressions in most travel guides add nothing to it.

The conclusion does not change with the details. The 331 Mbps figure belongs to people riding the five measured networks; pick a 30 Mbps-capped brand and you never enter that Italy. Free Wi-Fi is genuinely easy to use under the 2013 law, but the state programme's density does not carry a trip. Deciding which network you will be on, before you land, sets almost everything else.

Coral eSIM's Italy plans can be installed and configured before departure. If you have not done this before, read how to set up a travel eSIM and how to check your APN settings first.

Related articles

• Why eSIM data runs slowly and how to fix it
• The risks of public Wi-Fi abroad and how to reduce them
• eSIM versus pocket Wi-Fi
• International roaming versus eSIM
• Buying a SIM at the airport versus using an eSIM
• Preparing offline maps
• Internet and free Wi-Fi in the United States
• Internet and free Wi-Fi in China