December 2018 Italian consumers will be able to choose whether to use their own modem or that of their Internet provider, here's what changes between the various operators
As of December 1, 2018, all Internet service providers in Italy have been notified to make the choice of modem free for old or new users. This means that we will no longer be forced to buy or rent the modem offered by our Internet provider.
At the moment, AGCOM has granted the various TIM, Vodafone, Wind Tre, Fastweb and Tiscali, and all other Internet providers in our country, to choose how to comply with this new rule no later than January 2019. It must be said that for now most of the Italian Internet operators have chosen to include this new choice for the modem of their Network services only in the notes or in the customer service details on their sites and pages dedicated to their offers. Spaces not so prominent and not so easy to visualize for consumers. But here's in detail how individual operators have chosen to adapt to the new regulation on free modems.
TIM and free modems
In the new TIM offers, the company specifies at the bottom of the page that the modem can be provided on a free loan for all new users, except for those who have already signed an offer with the company. TIM clearly specifies in this section that it is possible to use any modem for TIM Internet services as long as the router is compatible with the connection technology to which we have subscribed. If a third party modem is chosen, it will be up to the user to configure the device, and in fact the section dedicated to assistance in configuring the modem has disappeared from the TIM website.
Vodafone and the free modem
At the moment, Vodafone has not yet clearly indicated how it will act in view of the obligation for users to freely choose their modem. On the company's website you can read that Vodafone is complying with the legislation and will let its consumers know how by early 2019. In the meantime, anyone wishing to cancel their contract with Vodafone will be able to do so without penalty for the return of the Vodafone Station.
Wind, Tiscali and Fastweb and the free modem
To comply with the regulations Wind Tre has chosen to create a new monthly Internet offer, called Absolute, in which there is a free choice of the home router by consumers. Fastweb has created a page within its official site dedicated only to the configuration of third-party modems compatible with the Fastweb network. On Tiscali instead there will be no big news since the company has always allowed its consumers to use routers different from the one provided on loan with Tiscali offers, even if produced by third parties.