3 (Tre) - Italy

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3 (Tre)
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Italy Flag of Italy View country details


3 (Tre) (Italy) uses 2 GSM bands, 2 UMTS bands, 5 LTE bands, and 2 5G NR bands. Find out if your unlocked phone or mobile device will work with 3 (Tre) (Italy). See the tables below for details.

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Carrier website: http://www.tre.it/

Last updated: 2024/08/04 - See latest updates

3 (Tre) Italy, officially known as H3G S.p.A., is a mobile network operator in Italy. It was founded in November 1999 and was initially controlled by Tiscali and Franco Bernabè. 3 Italy was the first Italian mobile operator to offer 3G services, launching UMTS in March 2003. By March 2010, the company had 9 million registered customers.

Key milestones for 3 Italy include:

  • 2006: The first launch of HSDPA technology in Italy, marketed as "ADSM" (a contraction of "ADSL Mobile").
  • 2006: The first digital mobile TV service using DVB-H technology.
  • 2008-2011: Free viewing of several television channels using DVB-H technology.

In 2015, CK Hutchison Holdings and VimpelCom agreed to merge their telecommunications businesses in Italy, forming Wind Tre S.p.A. This merger was completed in December 2016, with the resulting company being 50% owned by each partner. By 2018, CK Hutchison acquired the remaining 50% stake from VEON, gaining 100% ownership of Wind Tre. The company rebranded its services under the unified brand Wind Tre, which was officially unveiled on March 6, 2020, and commercially launched on March 16, 2020.

As of 2022, Wind Tre is the largest Italian mobile operator by subscribers, offering a wide range of services including 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G networks, with coverage of over 99% of the population.

Frequency Bands

GSM

Name Interface Description
900 MHz (E-GSM) GSM

3 (Tre) Italy uses the GSM 900 MHz (E-GSM) frequency band for mobile communications. This band is a subset of the GSM standard and is utilized for mobile communications in various countries, including Italy. The deployment of this frequency band in Italy is part of the country's transition to modern mobile telephony, which began with the introduction of the first GSM system in the early 1990s.
1800 MHz (DCS) GSM

3 (Tre) Italy uses the GSM 1800 MHz (DCS) frequency band for its mobile network services. This band operates within the 1.8 GHz frequency range, offering reduced signal interference and greater channel availability compared to other GSM bands. The specific frequency ranges for GSM 1800 are:

  • Uplink: 1710–1785 MHz
  • Downlink: 1805–1880 MHz

This band provides services such as voice communication, text messaging (SMS), and basic data communications. The deployment of GSM 1800 in Italy began in the early 1990s, marking a significant milestone in the country's transition to modern mobile telephony.

Supported GSM Protocols

Name Generation
GPRS 2.5G
EDGE 2.5G

UMTS

Name Interface Description
B1 (2100 MHz) UMTS

3 (Tre) Italy uses the UMTS B1 (2100 MHz) frequency band. This band is widely used for 3G services and supports various channel bandwidths, including 5, 10, 15, and 20 MHz. The duplex spacing for this band is 190 MHz.
B8 (900 MHz GSM) UMTS

3 (Tre) Italy uses the UMTS B8 (900 MHz GSM) frequency band. This band was deployed in 2006.

Supported UMTS Protocols

Name Generation
UMTS 3G
HSDPA 3.5G
HSUPA 3.5G
HSPA+ 3.5G (4G speed)

LTE

Name Interface Description
B3 (1800 MHz +) LTE

3 (Tre) Italy uses LTE Band 3 (1800 MHz +) for its LTE network. The deployment of this frequency band began in November 2012.
B7 (2600 MHz) LTE

In Italy, 3 (Tre) uses LTE band 7 (2600 MHz). The deployment of this band is not specified.
B1 (2100 MHz) LTE

Tre in Italy uses LTE Band 1 (2100 MHz) for its mobile network. The deployment of this frequency band began in November 2012.
B20 (800 MHz DD) LTE

Italy's use of the LTE B20 (800 MHz DD) frequency band is part of its efforts to promote competition and enhance 5G coverage. The country adopted a "club use framework" in auctioning the 26 GHz band for 5G systems, which allows licensees to use other MNO's spectrum if they don't use it. This approach aims to encourage competition and ensure that 5G services are widely available across various municipalities. The deployment of LTE B20 (800 MHz DD) supports wide area coverage and deep penetration, making it suitable for regional and rural environments, as well as in-building coverage. This band is also popular for IoT applications like eMTC (LTE Cat M1) and NB-IoT (LTE Cat NB1) due to its wide coverage characteristics. The 800 MHz band does not easily support Massive MIMO and beamforming technologies due to its large wavelength. It can be used as a single band or as part of a multi-band network, and it supports carrier aggregation with other bands to enhance bandwidth and performance.
B38 (TD 2600 MHz) LTE

3 (Tre) Italy uses LTE B38 (TD 2600 MHz). The deployment date is unknown.

Supported LTE Protocols

Name Generation
LTE 4G

5G NR

Name Interface Description
N78 (3500 MHz) 5G NR

In Italy, Telecom Italia uses the 5G NR frequency band n78, which covers the 3500 MHz range. This band is used for 5G services and has been deployed to enhance network capacity and speeds, particularly in urban areas.
N258 (mmWave 26 GHz) 5G NR

Italy's use of the 5G NR frequency band n258 (mmWave 26 GHz) is part of the ongoing development and deployment of 5G mmWave technology in the country. This band is intended for short-range transmission at high data rates and is being utilized to provide gigabit peak speeds, ultra-low latency, and high-reliability connectivity in specific locations. The deployment of this band is aimed at enhancing 5G services, particularly for use cases such as gaming, industrial automation, virtual reality, and next-generation transport applications.

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