The International Herald Tribune ran a story (which seems to have missed the copy editor's desk) about the state of Wi-Fi in Italy: While the Communications Ministry there is enthusiastic about Wi-Fi, the general public doesn't seem very aware of the technology. It sounds like operators in Italy must get a license to operate Wi-Fi networks. In addition, a law requires users to register with a provider to use the networks, which don't seem to be offered without charge in Italy.