Page 368 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - London

366  SUR VIV AL GUIDE

Communication and Media Some are the old-style red
ones, others are much more
London is a hub of news organizations, book and magazine modern in appearance;
publishers, and television networks (though these last are whichever type, they generally
steadily moving to other parts of the country). Visitors benefit have the same technology
from an efficient and inexpensive telecommunications system. inside. You can pay with coins,
or by credit or debit card.
Though public telephones can still be found around the city – The minimum call cost is
including the famous, now largely defunct, red telephone 60p for the first 30 minutes
box – the mobile phone is king and there is a plethora of to a UK landline; and 10p for
mobile networks and phone shops to meet demand. Visitors each 10 minutes after that.
can stay connected via the free Wi-Fi readily available all over For a short call, use 10p or
the capital. 20p pieces, as payphones
only return unused coins. For
credit-card calls, the minimum
International and Local Mobile Phones charge can be anything from
Telephone Calls All UK mobile phone numbers £1.20 to £6.50.
All London landline telephone begin with 07. Calling a mobile
numbers have 11 digits and from a landline is considerably
begin with the code 020. Phone more expensive than calling
numbers in central London another landline.
continue with 7 and in outer There is a very high level of
London with 8, although mobile ownership in London
some business and signal coverage
numbers continue is good all over the
with 3. If you are city. UK mobiles
calling from another use the European-
London landline, you British Telecom logo standard 900 and
do not need to dial 1900 MHz frequen-
the 020, but only the remaining cies, so mobiles from other
eight digits. Every other part of European countries work so
Britain has its own area code, long as they have their roaming
beginning with 01 or 02. facility enabled. North American Old BT Modern BT
Whenever possible, avoid and Asian cell phones will not phonebox phonebox
making calls from hotels – above operate unless they have a
all, long-distance – as most add tri- or quad-band facility Useful Dialling Codes
hefty surcharges, and some even (which is increasingly standard
charge for free phone lines. There on current phones). New • The area code for London
are several special-rate numbers laws mean that data roaming is 020.
within the UK. Phone numbers charges throughout Europe • Phone numbers in central
beginning 03 are low-cost have been drastically reduced, London start with 7 or 3,
numbers used mostly by public and will be abolished by and in outer areas with 8.
bodies, such as the police. All June 2017, so it is now cheaper The 020 prefix must be
0800 or 0808 numbers are free than ever for Europeans to used if dialling from outside
to call from UK landlines (but use their own phones while these two areas.
not from mobile phones). 0844, in London. • British Telecom directory
enquiries is 118 500.
0845, 0870 and 0871 numbers If you are visiting from • If you have any problems
are reduced-rate lines that are outside the EU and anticipate contacting a number, call
used by many companies and using the phone a great deal, the operator on 100.
organizations for information it may well be more economical • To make an international
services. Numbers beginning to buy a cheap “pay-as-you-go” call, dial 00 followed by
09 are premium-rate and so British mobile (a basic phone the country code (USA
particularly expensive. can cost as little as £10) from and Canada: 1; Australia: 61;
To call Britain from abroad, one of the main local providers New Zealand: 64), the
dial 00 44, but then omit the such as O2, EE or Vodafone, area code and the number.
initial zero from the UK area all of which have shops all over (To the UK from abroad, the
code. So to call the London the city. country code is 44.)
number 020 7123 4567 from The international operator
abroad, you would dial 00 44 Public Telephones number is 155 (freephone).
20 7123 4567. To call abroad • In an emergency, dial 999
from London, dial 00 and then Though few and far between, or 112. All emergency calls
the usual country code (for BT public phoneboxes can still are free.
example, Australia: 61, USA and be found on the city’s streets
Canada: 1). and in every railway station.

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