Page 244 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2017 - Northern Spain

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Communications and Media

With the proliferation of smartphones, the number of
public telephones and cybercafés is gradually diminishing.
Several service providers in Spain offer both mobile and
Internet services, and there are plenty of places to find free or
inexpensive Wi-Fi for those travelling with their own devices.
The Spanish post office provides an efficient service, and
there are also courier firms for urgent communications.
There are numerous TV and radio stations in Spain, some
state-run and others private.
Mobile Phones Public payphone booths, with their
A 3G or 4G broadband mobile characteristic blue tops
(or a mobile operable in
frequencies GSM 900/1800) will start at around €5 for 300MB.
work in Spain, but check costs To add more credit to your
with your service provider first. phone, purchase a scratch card
Logo of Movistar, the main telephone If you plan to make frequent from supermarkets and shops,
company in Spain calls, it will probably work out online at your provider’s
cheaper to get a Spanish website, or by phone using
Public Telephones
number. You can have your your credit card. Mobile phone
Public telephones, operated by phone unlocked and get a pre- top-ups are also available from
the main telephone company paid SIM card, or buy a pre- most ATMs.
Movistar, are easy to find. Most paid phone with a number of If you have a Wi-Fi connec-
accept credit cards, or pre-paid minutes included. The Bic tion, you can also use free
telephone cards (tarjetas Phone, an inexpensive videochat and call programs
telefónicas) instead of coins. disposable phone that comes or apps, such as Skype, Google
You can purchase phonecards fully charged and with a small Hangout, whatsapp or Viber.
from tobacconists, super- amount of phone credit, is
markets and newsstands. available at petrol stations,
When calling from a fixed supermarkets and tobacconists Internet
line, there are four charge in larger towns and cities. Wi-Fi is available in all airports,
bands for international calls. The most popular mobile most hotels and an increasing
The cheapest calls are to phone providers in Spain are number of cafés, bars and
numbers within the European Movistar, Vodafone, Orange restaurants, as well as in many
Union; slightly more expensive and Yoigo. Their products can of the well-known international
are calls to non-EU countries be found at their own shops, fast-food and coffee chains.
and northwest Africa, followed online, at El Corte Inglés stores Increasingly, Wi-Fi is offered
by calls to North and South and at Phone House. For a for free. Some larger cities, such
America; the most expensive simple handset plus SIM card as Bilbao, also provide a free
category of calls is to the rest (allowing free incoming calls Wi-Fi service, as do many
of the world. to Spain), expect to pay about public libraries. There is a
When calling Spain from €50. Rates for national calls are smattering of Internet cafés
abroad, dial the international around 5 cents per minute; (cibercafés) in the main resorts
code for Spain (+34), followed most providers also offer pre- and towns across the region,
by the nine-digit number. paid Internet data cards that and you can usually find
Useful Spanish Dialling Codes
• Within Spain, you must always dial the nine- France 33; US/Canada 1; Australia 61;
digit number in full. New Zealand 64; South Africa 27.
• Numbers beginning with 900 are toll-free, • Information services of mobile operators:
with 902 are inexpensive information lines, and Movistar 1004; Orange 1414 (470 from an Orange
with 80 are the most expensive lines. Those line); Vodafone 607 123 000 (123 from a Vodafone
beginning with 6 are mobiles (cell phones). line); Yoigo 1707 (622 from a Yoigo line).
• To make a call to Andorra, dial 00 376 followed • International directory enquiries (Movistar) –
by the full number (omitting the initial 0). 11825.
• To make an international call from Spain, • Speaking clock/wake-up calls/weather
dial 00, then the country code, the area code (Movistar) – 1212.
(omitting the initial 0) and the phone number. • To report a technical fault on Movistar lines,
• Country codes: Spain 34, UK 44, Eire 353; dial 1002 (Movistar).

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