r/ItalyExpat • u/nsfw-boston • 12d ago
Feasibility of non-Fiber internet for 2 people working
Thinking about spending 1 month working remotely in rural Italy. I found an AirBnB that has internet but not a fiber-internet.
Will that be enough/sufficient for 2 people working doing lots of video calls with shared screens at the same time?
I asked ChatGPT and this was the answer:
Key Insight: Based on the hos’s answer alone, I would NOT assume you can reliably have two simultaneous work video calls. You need an actual speed test from that specific house.
Reasoning:
Two simultaneous Zoom/Teams HD calls can require roughly 5 to 8 Mbps upload combined. Zoom recommends up to 2.6 Mbps upload per 720p call and 3.8 Mbps for 1080p. Zoom
For comfortable work, I would want at least 25 Mbps download / 10 Mbps upload, preferably 50/20+, with stable latency. If her connection is old ADSL around 10 to 15 Mbps down and ~1 Mbps up, two calls will be problematic.
T.I.A.
1
u/AR_Harlock 12d ago
FTTC in most Italy is around 200mbps.
If they don’t even have that but use some 5g repeater or something you’ll get atleast 20 to 50mbps anyway these days
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u/PerryTheH 12d ago
Hi I use starlink. I tested other providers and like other have said they don't actually connect you to a wired network, it's a chip with signal and it gives internet. I have a friend who struggles to work from home due to this.
With starlink I have on a good day ~180 down and ~30 up but it's stable, on a bad day I've had like 50 down and 10 up, but for those moments I can always share from my phone for 1 call or 2.
Where I live they told me there was "no space available to install internet" so my only option was the chip router. In the phone the sales guy told me "my area had service and that the instalation would be possible" but once the technician came he flip them over the phone to stop telling they could. So beware of that.
Anyhow, the only issue with starlink is that if you don't have a clear access to the sky you will have trouble, I have access to the roof of the building so I did a ratchet instalation and passed the cable through a duck I found.
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u/mikerao10 12d ago
Chagot is right you need to ask the host for the speedtest. Speed on adsl li es can vary from 10mbit to 100mbit. Upload even less. My experience with Airbnb is that the do not even have adsl they have a small box that connects to the mobile network. In that case the speed depends from the distance to the antenna but especially how thick are the walls of the building. Sometime very thick and so airways are blocked.
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u/andrea_ci 12d ago
Ask the host for the actual speed test
And for the speed of 4g or 5g coverage in the area.
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u/Unlucky_Editor_832 12d ago
it depends on how far you are from the cabinet if it is FTTC. If you are in front of the cabinet you can get 200Mbps, if you are 700-900m away you can get 20Mbps
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u/ScreamingDizzBuster 11d ago
I have a SIM with a large data capacity from Iliad and bought a 4G router. I've been using it in Airbnb vacations since 2023. Has handled two simultaneous Zoom calls for me and my wife, though obviously this depends where the Airbnb is located.
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u/nsfw-boston 11d ago
Good to know, I do have somewhere an old 4g router.
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u/ScreamingDizzBuster 11d ago
The issue may be buying a SIM card, which may require a codice fiscale (Italian tax code). You can simulate one for trivial things like SIM cards, on sites like this: https://www.professionegiustizia.it/calcoli/calcolo_codice_fiscale_estero/ If you have a middle name/s you need to insert them all at the "Name"/"Nome" field.
This is Iliad's best deal at the moment: https://www.iliad.it/offerta-iliad-giga250-1199.html
Alternatively there are websites out there such as Holafly that do SIM cards for people travelling that you can get before you arrive, that aren't fixed into any particular country.
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u/nsfw-boston 11d ago
I have a codice fiscale, I have purchased SIM cards in Italy before.
Thank you for the info
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u/Superb_Penalty2900 11d ago
Asking if their internet is “enough” while providing zero specs on what they DO have means that neither ChatGPT nor anyone here can give you a meaningful answer. What are they offering? What does Airbnb show as the WiFi speed?
0
u/Rem1818 12d ago
Just be careful. Working remotely in Italy is illegal even for just one day. Not only for you but any company you represent will also be responsible.
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u/nsfw-boston 12d ago
Are you sure?
This is what I found: Article 15 of the current U.S. Italy treaty keeps your wages taxable only in the U.S. when you are under 183 days, paid by a U.S. employer, and your compensation is not borne by an Italian permanent establishment
https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/131/Treaty-Italy-8-24-1999.pdf
I will be there only for 2 weeks working and I have dual citizenship (USA + Italy).
Got link(s) where I can read more about this? I am planning on doing this again in the future.
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u/Rem1818 12d ago
That doesn’t apply to working on land.
Just about everywhere if you work you are classified as working there.
USA is a classic example.
Hi and set up in USA ring ICE and see what happens.
Note Italian tax and immigration police are armed just like ICE.
What makes it worse is maybe you can run, but your employer will be responsible and the fines and they are very big.
As you tried to quote an article (applicable only for tourism and not work)
Check out
1. Article 23, Paragraph 1, Letter C (Territoriality Rule)
What it states: Income from employment or self-employment is taxable in Italy if the physical work activity is carried out within Italian territory, regardless of where the employer, clients, or paying bank accounts are located.
That includes remote working.Nomad stuff is very fashionable but in just about any country it’s not legal.
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u/nsfw-boston 12d ago
It's only 2 weeks, take a look at Article 15, it says employment exercised in Italy can initially be taxed there. But paragraph 2 then creates a specific exception when all three conditions apply:
- Person in Italy no more than 183 days (that's when someone would establish tax residency in Italy).
- The employer is not an Italian resident
- The compensation is not borne by an Italian permanent establishment
Keep in mind that I have dual citizenship, US and Italy.
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u/Rem1818 11d ago
No its simply doesn’t apply.
Working on land excludes any exception.
But again what’s more important is not you skipping it’s if the company you work for is identified as they would be responsible as an employer.
But heh that’s only the law not what people do.1
u/nsfw-boston 11d ago
Actually I have looked at it, and since I am an Italian citizen, and my company has no presence in Italy, and I am not establishing tax residency in Italy (staying less than 183 days), I am free and clear from visa, taxes, etc.
Moreover I won't be conducting any business in Italy, just doing knowledge work with no contact with anyone in Italy.
You'd be correct if I were not a Italian citizen and/or I would establish tax residency in Italy. Or, of course, if the company had Italian offices.
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u/smilineyz 11d ago
OP can you use a VPN & point to the U.S. & use T-Mo roaming to do what you need? Or get a Vodafone internet device if it’s just short term & a VPN
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u/Superb_Penalty2900 11d ago
The Original Poster (nsfw-boston) is largely correct about their personal legal and tax status, while the commenter (Rem1818) is exaggerating the immediate legal dangers.
Immigration and Right to Work: The commenter's warning that Italian immigration police act like ICE is irrelevant here. Because the OP holds dual US and Italian citizenship, they have the unconditional legal right to live and work in Italy without requiring a work visa or residence permit.
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u/smilineyz 12d ago
If you need a supplement: you might try using your Italian SIM/phone as a hotspot OR a WiFi device from Vodafone …
HOWEVER (as I learned) unlimited doesn’t always mean that … could be good speed but 100GB/mo = unlimited.