Communications

Telephone

Country Code: +44. There are numerous public call boxes. Some boxes take coins, others phonecards or credit cards.

Mobile Telephone

Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone operators. Coverage is mostly good, but can be patchy in rural areas.

Internet

There are Internet cafés and centres in most urban areas. Some multimedia phone booths, often located at main railway stations and airports, offer touch-screen access.

Media

The British media are free and able to report on all subjects. The variety of publications reflects the full spectrum of political opinion.

Post

Stamps are available from post offices and many shops and stores. There are stamp machines outside some post offices. Post boxes are red. First-class internal mail normally reaches its destination the day after posting (except in remote areas of Scotland), and most second-class mail the day after that. International postal connections are good.Mon-Fri 0900-1730 and Sat 0900-1230, although some post offices are open much longer hours.

Press

Dominated by about 10 major newspapers, UK circulation figures are amongst the highest in the world. Broadsheets are The Daily Telegraph, The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Observer (on Sunday) and The Times. The more popular tabloid newspapers are The Daily Express, The Daily Mail, The Daily Mirror and The Sun. Most papers have an associated Sunday newspaper, though there are some independents. There are also daily regional newspapers. The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) is funded by a licence fee, which all households with a TV set must pay. There is no advertising on BBC1, BBC2, BBC3 and BBC4. Commercial TV began in 1955 with the launch of ITV.