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Communications

Telephone System

England has an extensive and reliable national and international telephone system, previously dominated by British Telecom (for fixed line systems) and now supplemented by additional fixed line providers and a myriad of mobile phone carriers  such as Vodaphone, O2, Orange, and T-Mobile and suppliers such as Carphone Warehouse.

Payphones

There are a large number of payphones available, many of which both on the streets and in hotels and public places.  These accept 10p, 20p, 50p and £,1 pieces, while newer phones also accept £2 coins. The minimum cost of a call is 20p. If you expect a call to be short, use 10p or 20p pieces, as payphones only return unused coins. You may find a phone card more  convenient than coins. BT (formerly British Telecom) has now stopped issuing its own prepaid phone cards, but other phone companies' cards are available from newsagents and post offices. If you use a credit card, be warned that it carries a 50p minimum charge and your phone calls will be charged at a higher rate. There are now an increasing number of payphones that also accept payment by credit card.

There are three principal telephone directories published, the Phone Book (which included personal and business numbers), Yellow Pages and Thomson Local, which list local businesses and services. They can be found at local Post Office branches, libraries and often at your accomodation.

There are also a number of telephone services exist to help you find or reach a specific phone number:

Emergency Calls   999. Police, Fire, Ambulance, Coastguard, Mountain and Cave Rescue.
Operator Assistance 100.
Overseas Calls 00 followed by country code: Australia (61), Canada (7), Ireland (353), New Zealand (64), South Africa (27), United States (1).

Postal Service

The postal service in England is run by the Royal Mail which used to have a monopoly on the handling of all mail (letters & parcles) but this monopoly is being reduced (the parcel service has now a number of alternatives) and a number of other providers are now providing a part of the mail service (mainly business).

Most towns in England have a main post offices that offer all the mail services available and there are many Post Office outlets in newsagents, grocery stores. In many villages the Post Office outlet is also the only shop. Post Office branches are usually open from 9am to 5:30pm Monday to Friday, and until 12:30pm on Saturday. Post boxes in all shapes and sizes but always red - are found throughout cities, towns and villages.

Postage stamps can now be bought at many outlets, including supermarkets and petrol stations. Hotels often have post boxes at their reception. When writing to a British address always include the postcode, which can be obtained from either the Royal Mail enquiry line or website. Letters and postcards can be sent either first or second class within England. First-class service is more expensive but quicker, with most letters reaching their destination the following day (except Sunday); second-class mail takes a day or two longer.

Some of the larger Post Office branches have a poste restante service where letters can be sent for collection. To use the service, print the surname (last name) clearly so it will be filed correctly. Send it to Poste Restante followed by the address of the Post Office branch. To collect your post you will have to show your passport or other form of identification. Post will be kept for one month.

Post boxes are either free standing "pillar boxes" or wall safes, both painted bright red. Some pillar boxes have separate slots, one for overseas and first-class mail, another for second-class mail. Collections are usually made several times a day during weekdays (less often on Saturdays and Sundays); times are marked on the box.

To mail abroad, all airmail goes by the Royal Mail's fast airmail service anywhere in the world; the cost depends on the destination. On average, it usually takes three days for them to reach cities in Europe, and four to six days for destinations elsewhere. Sending post overseas by surface mail may be economical, but it can take up to eight weeks for it to reach its destination. Royal Mail offers an express airmail service called Swiftair. Available from all Post Office branches, mail goes on the first available flight to the country of destination.

There are a number of organisations that offer world wide couriere services for fast delivery of letter and parcels. These include Parcelforce Worldwide, Crosstlight, DHL, or UPS.

Internet

Most cities and towns now have some form of public access to computers and the Internet. Free Internet access is often available at main library branches, although you may have to book a time slot. There is now an increasing number of Internet cafes in towns and usually charge by the minute for computer use. Charges tend to build up quickly, especially when including the cost of printed pages. Most hotels also offer some form of access, either at reception or increasing as part of the room service. In Britain there is a large proportion of internet connections are now on the faster broadband service.

Media

Newspapers are published nationally, with all the main daily and Sunday newspapers widely available throughout England. The more serious newspapers include The Times, The Daily Telegraph  (which are politically conservative), and The Guardian and The Independent (which have more of a liberal/left-wing leaning), the distinctively coloured and very serious Financial Times, which focuses on business and finance. The less serious and middle of the road newspapers include The Daily Mail, The Daily Express, which are right-wing and aimed directly at 'Middle England' and The Sun and The Mirror which are the most popular and provide celebrity gossip and extensive sports coverage, the Saturday editions of these papers carry their own listings guides with useful reviews of movies, clubs, restaurants, theatre, etc. The broadsheets' Sunday versions are huge and would take most of your holiday to read thoroughly. They include the Independent on Sunday, Sunday Times, Sunday Telegraph and the Observer (a stablemate of The Guardian).

Regional and local newspapers are published throughout England, and are on sale in local newsagents alongside the national papers. Many regions also deliver free local papers, which are very much concerned with community news and gossip.

Foreign newspapers and magazines, including the Die Zeit, Le Monde, EI Pais, USA Today and The New York Times are widely available in larger city newsagents, at airports and in railway stations.

Magazines

There are thousands of magazines available covering every concievable sport, interest and pastime: racing, cars, fish, women's interest, history, aeroplanes, money, sex, films, cookery, ponies, whatever your interest, there's a magazine to serve it.  Some particularly common or popular ones include NMEfor music news and reviews, Cosmopolitan, FHM, for men or the New Statesman and The Spectator, which offer political comment from the left and right respectively. Most magazines are available across the country. Time, Newsweek, international editions of Cosmopolitan, Vogue etc. and other foreign magazines are widely available in large cities.

Television

There are five main terestrial television channels in England; the publicly funded BBC 1 and 2, and the independent commercial stations ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. The BBC and ITV both offer regional programming, some of which is aimed at local special interest.

These offer a generally high standard of programming, especially in news, documentaries and drama. There are a large number of imported US shows, game shows and reality TV.

These channels are supplemented by various digital cable TV companies, such as Sky Digital, which currently has 170 channels, and Virgin Medial. Packages include movie channels such as FilmFour, Sky Movies and the Movie Channel, as well as sports-only channels like Sky Sports, which also show sports from around the world (such as American or Aussie Rules Football). Most upmarket hotels will have at least some of these channels on the TV in your room.

Radio

The BBC network also broadcasts several radio channels, most of which are based in London. These include: Radio 1 aimed at a young audience; Radio 2 targeting a more mature audience; Radio 3 which plays mostly classical music; Radio 4 which is talk-based and features arts, drama and current affairs; and Radio 5 Live which is a mix of sport and news. In addition, the BBC broadcasts on local and regional affairs, through a network of local radio stations.

There are a large number commercial radio stations including Jazz FM (102.2), Virgin FM (1215AM, rock), Classic FM (99.9-101.9FM), and hundreds of local radio stations (try XFM on 104.9 FM in London), which can all be found at the touch of a dial.