Owners of the 1,700 commercial internet points and telephone centres in the province and the city of Rome should have applied to the police by the 26 September for a special register to record customers identities and details of their calls. However, on the closing date only 350 applications had been received. The telephone centres and internet points, which charge very competitive rates for calling long distance, are used mainly by immigrants from non-European Union countries.

The police have now checked on 60 such centres, discovering that many employees and customers were without permits to stay in Italy. All the centres that did not have the necessary licence have been fined and closed until their owners comply with the necessary regulations.

Under the terms of the anti-terrorist measures introduced in summer, all telephone centres and internet points have to keep a register of customers who use the centre and the date on which they use it. They also have to keep a copy of all customers identity documents.