Telephone Service

When you arrange for telephone service, you will have to choose a long distance carrier. The major carriers are AT&T, MCI, and Sprint. You can change the carrier later. After your service is installed, call each of the carriers and ask about their discount calling plans. You will need to be persistent in asking for the discount plan that offers you the greatest savings based on your calling patterns. Remember to mention that you will be making international calls.

The telephone company will ask you how you wish to be listed in the local telephone directory. We suggest asking them to list your full last name but only the initial of your first name. You can also ask to have your number unlisted, but there will be an extra charge for this service.

You will also need to get a telephone. You can get inexpensive telephones from discount stores, department stores, pharmacies, and the ubiquitous Radio Shack store. A basic telephone will cost between $15 and $45. Be sure to get one that provides touch tone service.

Soon after you arrange for telephone service, you will receive free copies of the local telephone directories. The telephone directories are known according to the color of their pages. The White Pages list the telephone numbers of residents, organized alphabetically by name. The Blue Pages, often part of the white pages, contain a list of government telephone numbers. If you need the telephone number for the local immigration office, look in the blue pages. The Yellow Pages contain listings and advertisements for businesses organized both alphabetically and by type of business, product, or service.

The white pages provide instructions for making local, long distance, and international calls. Local telephone numbers have 7 digits. To make a long distance call you need to dial 1, the 3 digit area code, and the seven digit telephone number. To call an international telephone number, dial 011, the country code, the city code, and the telephone number. Omit any leading zeros from the country code. You can find a list of country and city codes in the white pages.

Toll free numbers are like long distance numbers, but with an area code of 800, 888, or 877. Telephone numbers with an area code of 700 or 900 are for pay services and usually involve substantial per minute charges. We recommend asking the telephone company to block access to 700 and 900 numbers on your phone lines.

If you need someone's telephone number but do not have a telephone book, you can call Directory Assistance for the number. They will ask for the name and city of the listing, and tell you the telephone number. They will charge you for each time you use this service. To reach local directory assistance, dial 555-1212 or 411. To reach long distance directory assistance, dial 1, the area code, and 555-1212. To find the toll free number for a major company, call 1-800-555-1212; there is no charge for this call. There are also several free searchable directories on the world wide web, such as 555-1212.com , BigBook , WorldPages and Yahoo People Search

Payphones charge 25¢ to 35¢ for a one-minute local call. Charges for long distance calls are much higher. Most payphones accept credit cards, either directly or by dialing a toll free number. For example, dial 1-800-CALL-ATT to charge a telephone call using AT&T long distance to your credit card. You may also purchase prepaid phone cards from many businesses, such as grocery stores and gas stations.

To make a collect call (reverse the charges), dial 0 followed by the area code and telephone number. Tell the operator that you are making a collect call. You can also make collect calls by calling 1-800-CALL-ATT (1-800-225-5288) or 1-800-COLLECT (1-800-265-5328).

Telexes can be sent by Western Union. Call 1-800-325-6000 for the nearest location. You can also use Western Union to send money, but the fees are very high. Call 1-800-225-5227 for more information

Internet Service

Your school may provide dialup numbers that let you access the campus computer network and the Internet from home using a computer with a modem. Otherwise, the telephone company or any of a large number of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can provide unlimited Internet access at modem speeds for fees of about $20 a month. Internet service allows you to browse the web and to send and receive email. If your friends and family back home has access to email, sending email can be one of the most cost effective methods of communicating

Higher speed Internet access is becoming available in many major US cities. There are two main methods of providing high speed access, one using the telephone wiring (ADSL) and one using cable television wiring (cable modems). Both provide high bandwidth incoming and somewhat lower bandwidth outgoing by using the wiring's underexploited transmission capacity. The incoming bandwidth is at least twenty times faster than modem speeds. Of the two, ADSL is a bit more secure and will ultimately provide higher bandwidth.