Italy has not chosen exactly the same path as France to reduce phone spam. While France still relies on Bloctel before switching to a general opt-in regime in 2026, Italy combines three levers: a public opt-out register extended to mobile numbers, strong oversight from the data protection authority, and a sector-wide code of conduct. At the centre of that system is the Garante per la protezione dei dati personali, the Italian equivalent of the CNIL.
For French companies working with Italian prospects, this model is worth watching. It shows that fighting abusive telemarketing is not only about fines. It also depends on list hygiene, consent traceability, and the ability to process objections quickly.
The Italian opt-out register also covers mobile numbers
Since the entry into force of DPR 27 January 2022, No. 26, the Registro pubblico delle opposizioni (RPO) has been extended to all national landline and mobile numbers. In practice, citizens can register their phone lines free of charge to object to unwanted telemarketing calls.
A key point: registering in the RPO cancels previous marketing consents. There are still two important exceptions: calls linked to an active contract — or one that ended less than 30 days earlier — and consents given again after registration. This is why consent management and contract-related exceptions have become a central issue across Europe.
For primary source material, see the official Registro pubblico delle opposizioni website and the Garante Privacy telemarketing page.
The Garante does more than manage the register: it oversees complaints and can trigger heavy sanctions
On its telemarketing portal, the Garante explains that people who keep receiving promotional calls despite objecting can file a report through an online service. The goal is not only to address complaints one by one, but also to strengthen the authority’s market-wide enforcement capacity.
The message to brands and subcontractors is clear: breaching the right to object can expose companies to GDPR-level sanctions of up to €20 million or 4% of global annual turnover. For operations and compliance teams, this echoes the issues discussed in our guide to the anatomy of a spam report: a complaint is never just a UX problem, it is also a regulatory risk.
A code of conduct to professionalise telemarketing
Italy is also trying to clean up the sector with a dedicated telemarketing and teleselling code of conduct. The Garante approved the code in 2023 and then validated the monitoring body in March 2024. For participating companies, the goal is to formalise more transparent practices: partner governance, evidence rules, audits, and the possibility of suspension or removal from the scheme in case of breaches.
The framework is referenced in the official 7 March 2024 Garante decision. This matters for multi-country contact centres. In practice, a credible anti-spam programme is not just about avoiding calls to registered numbers. It also requires a clear chain of responsibility between advertiser, data broker, outsourcer, and call centre. That is exactly the kind of operational discipline behind automated phone reputation monitoring.
What French companies can learn from the Italian model
1. A register only works if suppression workflows are real
The official RPO website reminds operators that they must consult the register monthly and before each campaign. In other words, the right to object only works if CRM systems, dialers, and provider workflows actually remove the numbers.
2. Consent evidence remains the core battle
As in France or Germany, many disputes come down to a simple question: where did the consent come from, when was it collected, and does it really cover the current campaign? For sales teams, the lesson is the same as in our article on the German BNetzA model: without a clear audit trail, compliance remains fragile.
3. Data protection and phone reputation are converging
An overly aggressive number does not only create regulatory complaints. It can also damage its reputation across handsets, caller-ID apps, and operator filters. In 2026, legal controls and technical reputation signals increasingly reinforce one another.
Italy vs France: different philosophies, same pressure on sales teams
France is moving toward a stricter opt-in framework from August 2026. Italy already shows that an expanded register, operational consultation duties, and an active regulator can put strong pressure on the telemarketing market. In both countries, the conclusion for businesses is the same: buying or using data without strong governance is getting more expensive.
For commercial and compliance leaders, the real question is no longer “how many calls can I still place?” but “can I prove my calls are legitimate, expected, and traceable?”
