Communications

England is well served by its mail services, phone companies and in addition has one of the world’s largest and most technologically advanced telecommunications systems and offer services such as mobile communications, wireless and cable. Truly travelers can stay very well served for their communication requirements.

The mail service in Britain is run by three brands: The Royal Mail, Parcelforce Worlwide, and the Post Office, each of one handle different services, the first remains responsible for the universal mail collection and delivery service, the second handles the parcel delivery and the third handles retail services to the public.

There is huge range of phone service providers, as well as café internets and wireless providers that covers all the requirements of travelers.

Phones in England

The main phone service provider is the British Telecommunications (BT) but there also many other providers.

There are numerous public call boxes. Some boxes take coins, others phonecards or credit cards. For calls within the UK it is usually cheaper if you can call before 08:00 or after 18:00 on weekdays, or anytime at weekends.

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

For Emergencies dial 999 (or 112) and ask to be connected to the Fire, Police or Ambulance service (or a special rescue service such as the Coast Guard, Mountain Rescue or Cave Rescue). The call is free.

For UK telephone number enquiries dial 118 500 for BT's telephone enquiry service. There is a combination of a connection charge and a charge per minute. Also BT’s Phone Directory is available on Interner for free at UK Enquiries Directory .

The calling code to UK is +44

To reach Operator, dial 100 or the International Operator on 155.

Internet

England is well served with Internet cafes and centres in most urban areas. Some multimedia phone booths, often located at main railway stations and airports, offer touch-screen access.

Mail in England

The Royal Mail is the UK's main delivery service for smaller items (letters, large letters and packets). You can find full details about the Royal Mail's services at http://www.royalmail.com/

To sent parcels by post. Parcelforce Worldwide is the main parcel delivery service. A package sent abroad which contains only printed papers which weigh up to 5 kilograms can be sent at the cheaper letter postage rates, but any other package weighing over 2 kilograms will be considered to be a parcel. The cost of the service depends of the size of the parcel.

Post Office handles retail services to the public and provides range of postal and financial services. As well as postal services, main post offices may be able to provide you with packing materials, TV licence and other official application forms, and may offer some banking services (for example: bill payment, foreign exchange, money transfer, travel insurance).

Postcodes
A postcode for instance: CB12 3BT, identifies the exact location of an address in the UK (similar to a "zip code" in the US). To find a postcode from any city or place in the UK you can find it at Royal Mail Website