Making Phone Calls
In order to make a phone call to Cyprus from abroad, dial 00 357 and then the eight-digit phone number.
If you wish to make a phone call abroad while in Cyprus, dial 00, followed by the country code and the telephone number. International calls can be made from public telephones available at various central locations in all cities and villages, as well as at international airports, harbours and elsewhere. There are three types of public telephones - coin phones, outdoor card phones and indoor card phones. Public payphones can be used for both national and international calls. Dialling instructions as well as rates are displayed in all payphones.
Calling within Cyprus simply requires dialling the eight-digit telephone number.
Internet Connection
Many establishments including phone centres, internet cafes and hotels offer internet connection services of various speeds and types. Depending on the establishment, the service offered is wired or wireless and is usually charged by the hour.
Cytanet is the largest Internet connectivity provider in Cyprus. PrimeTel and Cablenet also provide connectivity.
Cytanet and PrimeTel are the two major broadband/ADSL Internet connectivity providers in Cyprus. In order to obtain ADSL service, a phone line is necessary; a monthly connection fee is payable to the ADSL provider as well as the Internet service provider and a fee for digital television will also be payable if this option is chosen. Digital television is available from all Internet providers. Cablenet subscribers do not connect via a phone line, rather using a coaxial cable to do so. The cable is installed on subscription. Cablenet's service area is much smaller than that of Cytanet or PrimeTel.
Information on broadband options and internet service providers (ISPs) is available from CyprusBroadband.net.
Cytanet
To order a Cytanet Internet connection, subscribers must have a Cyta fixed phone line. Full range of Internet services and webmail is available.
Cytanet for All is a subscription-free dial-up Internet connection service for occasional users.
Tel: 80000 197 from a Cyprus telephone (Monday to Friday 08:00-24:00, weekends 10:00-24:00).
OTEnet
OTEnet provides telephones and ADSL Internet to many locations in Cyprus; their website has a map showing locations served by the network. Product packages are available for the home user, small business and larger corporations.
Landline Telephone Services
Fixed-line telephony in Cyprus is provided by Cyta, a government-owned company and PrimeTel an independently owned company; they both provide packages for home and business usage.
Cyta services: Cyta provides services for personal, business and small business use. These include the supply of land-lines, mobile phones (on monthly payment contracts and pay as you go), data transmission, telegraph transmission, maritime, TV transmission and reception, private leased circuits, audio text, video conferencing, ISDN, DSL, Internet and ATM/Frame Relay.
Cyta
At: Telecommunications Street, Strovolos, PO Box 24929, 1396 Nicosia.
Tel: 22 701 000
Tel: 132 (from Cyprus only)
Fax: 22 494 940
https://www.cyta.com.cy/personal
Cyta service can be initiated by signing up over the phone, online, or at a CytaShop. It also has customer service offices, called CytaShops, located throughout Cyprus.
PrimeTel services: PrimeTel provides land-line telephone, Internet (ADSL2 and broadband), Free-to-Air TV, digital TV, video on demand and pre-paid talk plans. The company offers residential packages as well as services for businesses.
PrimeTel PLC
At: The Maritime Center, 141 Omonia Avenue, PO Box 51490, 3506 Limassol.
Tel: 22 027 300 or 25 867 289 (residential services).
Tel: 133 (from Cyprus only).
Fax: 22 102 211.
http://primetel.com.cy/en/
PrimeTel also has customer service offices throughout Cyprus.
Getting a land line connected
Contact Cyta or PrimeTel directly in order to have a land line activated or installed.
Directory Inquiries
Cyta Directory Assistance.
Tel: 11892.
PrimeTel Directory Assistance (up to three numbers per call)
Tel: 11800 (charges apply).
Public Telephones
Cyta public phones are in all towns, villages, ports and airports. There are three types of public telephones, coinphones, outdoor cardphones and indoor cardphones. All public phones can be used for local and international calls.
Cardphones accept payment by Telecards, which are available in various denominations. They can be purchased at banks, post offices, souvenir shops, kiosks and CytaShops.
Mobile/Cellular Telephone Services
Mobile cellular telephones are available from major retailers and phone shops. If coming to Cyprus with a phone from another country, it may be possible to use it in Cyprus if the frequency band is the same (GSM 900/1800; UMTS 2100). The most economical way to make and receive calls will likely be to purchase a SIM card in Cyprus. All incoming calls are free and local calls are charged at a local rate.
In order to do use a foreign phone with a Cyprus sim card in Cyprus, the phone must be 'unlocked', meaning it is not tied to a particular provider's network. If the phone is locked, it may be possible to unlock the phone at phone stores in the originating country or in Cyprus. Once a phone is unlocked, it may be used on any network (provided the phone uses the same technology provided in Cyprus).
Pay-As-You-Go mobile phone usage
Pay-As-You-Go usage means no contract is necessary; users buy pre-paid credits for usage. In order to use the phone on a Pay-As-You-Go basis, make sure the phone is unlocked, purchase a SIM card for a small fee, remove the old SIM and install the new SIM card. The new SIM card packaging will include the new Cyprus phone number. Purchase credit (available in kiosks, tobacconists, post offices and petrol stations) and redeem it with the salesperson (if purchased in a phone store) or via phone call or text message.
There are no roaming agreements with the northern part of Cyprus; Cyprus mobile phones do not work there, however a cellular handset from another country works on both sides of the island.
Cytamobile
Vodaphone has pre-paid services under their SoEasy plan.
Soeasy pay as you go
soeasy is the Cytamobile-Vodafone pay as you go plan, designed for those customers who wish to enjoy the advantages of mobile telephony without signing a contract and without having to pay monthly bills. With soeasy the customers can control their monthly expenditure by paying for their calls in advance. It is very easy and quick to become a soeasy customer. All one has to do is to buy a soeasy Connection Pack and top-up his/her account using top-up Cards. The soeasy Connection Pack and top-up Cards are available throughout the country at kiosks and other points of sale. They are available in four different values: €5, €10 ,€20 and €35.
Monthly payment plans
Cyta has monthly payment plans which generally offer a better rate for frequent callers. Packages include:
Light: intended for customers who do not wish to make many calls.
Classic: intended for customers with average to high use.
Cybee services
cybee services are offered to all Cytamobile-Vodafone customers regardless of whether they are connected to a pay monthly or pay as you go plan. cybee services, offer quick and immediate access to live football results, where to find the closest pharmacy, helps you find a person's/ a business's/ a restaurant's phone number, and other information anytime and anywhere, through various access methods like sms, wap, or web.
A contract is needed to subscribe to monthly plans; there are penalties for early cancellation.
To connect to either one of the pay monthly plans, the customer needs to sign a contract with CYTA.
MTN Cyprus
MTN Cyprus provides mobile broadband services for mobile cellular phones, BlackBerrys and other 3G devices.
MTN has a comprehensive website in English:
http://www.mtn.com.cy/en/mtncyprus/
Sending Letters, Parcels Telegrams
You can send your letters from post offices located throughout the island and at the airports, or using the yellow mailboxes on the street. Stamps may be purchased from all Post Offices, Postal Agencies, as well as from many hotels, news-stands, kiosks, etc. Post offices offer other services, including courier service (data post), money orders, parcel post, etc. Telegrams can be sent through the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (CYTA), which has offices in all towns.
International Dialling Codes
Abkhazia +7 840, +7 940, +995 44
Afghanistan +93
Åland Islands +358 18
Albania +355
Algeria +213
American Samoa +1 684
Andorra +376
Angola +244
Anguilla +1 264
Antigua and Barbuda +1 268
Argentina +54
Armenia +374
Aruba +297
Ascension +247
Australia +61
Australian External Territories +672
Austria +43
Azerbaijan +994
Bahamas +1 242
Bahrain +973
Bangladesh +880
Barbados +1 246
Barbuda +1 268
Belarus +375
Belgium +32
Belize +501
Benin +229
Bermuda +1 441
Bhutan +975
Bolivia +591
Bonaire +599 7
Bosnia and Herzegovina +387
Botswana +267
Brazil +55
British Indian Ocean Territory +246
British Virgin Islands +1 284
Brunei Darussalam +673
Bulgaria +359
Burkina Faso +226
Burma +95
Burundi +257
Cambodia +855
Cameroon +237
Canada +1
Cape Verde +238
Caribbean Netherlands +599 3, +599 4, +599 7
Cayman Islands +1 345
Central African Republic +236
Chad +235
Chatham Island, New Zealand +64
Chile +56
China +86
Christmas Island +61
Cocos (Keeling) Islands +61
Colombia +57
Comoros +269
Congo +242
Congo, Democratic Republic of the (Zaire) +243
Cook Islands +682
Costa Rica +506
Côte d'Ivoire +225
Croatia +385
Cuba +53
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba +53 99
Curaçao +599 9
Cyprus +357
Czech Republic +420
Denmark +45
Diego Garcia +246
Djibouti +253
Dominica +1 767
Dominican Republic +1 809, +1 829, +1 849
East Timor +670
Easter Island +56
Ecuador +593
Egypt +20
El Salvador +503
Ellipso (Mobile Satellite service) +881 2, +881 3
EMSAT (Mobile Satellite service) +882 13
Equatorial Guinea +240
Eritrea +291
Estonia +372
Ethiopia +251
Falkland Islands +500
Faroe Islands +298
Fiji +679
Finland +358
France +33
French Antilles +596
French Guiana +594
French Polynesia +689
Gabon +241
Gambia +220
Georgia +995
Germany +49
Ghana +233
Gibraltar +350
Global Mobile Satellite System (GMSS) +881
Globalstar (Mobile Satellite Service) +881 8, +881 9
Greece +30
Greenland +299
Grenada +1 473
Guadeloupe +590
Guam +1 671
Guatemala +502
Guernsey +44
Guinea +224
Guinea-Bissau +245
Guyana +592
Haiti +509
Honduras +504
Hong Kong +852
Hungary +36
Iceland +354
ICO Global (Mobile Satellite Service) +881 0, +881 1
India +91
Indonesia +62
Inmarsat SNAC +870
International Freephone Service +800
International Shared Cost Service (ISCS) +808
Iran +98
Iraq +964
Ireland +353
Iridium (Mobile Satellite service) +881 6, +881 7
Isle of Man +44
Israel +972
Italy +39
Jamaica +1 876
Jan Mayen +47 79
Japan +81
Jersey +44
Jordan +962
Kazakhstan +7 6, +7 7
Kenya +254
Kiribati +686
Korea, North +850
Korea, South +82
Kuwait +965
Kyrgyzstan +996
Laos +856
Latvia +371
Lebanon +961
Lesotho +266
Liberia +231
Libya +218
Liechtenstein +423
Lithuania +370
Luxembourg +352
Macau +853
Macedonia +389
Madagascar +261
Malawi +265
Malaysia +60
Maldives +960
Mali +223
Malta +356
Marshall Islands +692
Martinique +596
Mauritania +222
Mauritius +230
Mayotte +262
Mexico +52
Micronesia, Federated States of +691
Midway Island, USA +1 808
Moldova +373
Monaco +377
Mongolia +976
Montenegro +382
Montserrat +1 664
Morocco +212
Mozambique +258
Namibia +264
Nauru +674
Nepal +977
Netherlands +31
Nevis +1 869
New Caledonia +687
New Zealand +64
Nicaragua +505
Niger +227
Nigeria +234
Niue +683
Norfolk Island +672
Northern Mariana Islands +1 670
Norway +47
Oman +968
Pakistan +92
Palau +680
Palestinian territories +970
Panama +507
Papua New Guinea +675
Paraguay +595
Peru +51
Philippines +63
Pitcairn Islands +64
Poland +48
Portugal +351
Puerto Rico +1 787, +1 939
Qatar +974
Réunion +262
Romania +40
Russia +7[notes 1]
Rwanda +250
Saba +599 4
Saint Barthélemy +590
Saint Helena +290
Saint Kitts and Nevis +1 869
Saint Lucia +1 758
Saint Martin (France) +590
Saint Pierre and Miquelon +508
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines +1 784
Samoa +685
San Marino +378
São Tomé and Príncipe +239
Saudi Arabia +966
Senegal +221
Serbia +381
Seychelles +248
Sierra Leone +232
Singapore +65
Sint Eustatius +599 3
Sint Maarten (Netherlands) +1 721
Slovakia +421
Slovenia +386
Solomon Islands +677
Somalia +252
South Africa +27
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands +500
South Ossetia +995 34
South Sudan +211
Spain +34
Sri Lanka +94
Sudan +249
Suriname +597
Svalbard +47 79
Swaziland +268
Sweden +46
Switzerland +41
Syria +963
Taiwan +886
Tajikistan +992
Tanzania +255
Thailand +66
Thuraya (Mobile Satellite service) +882 16
Togo +228
Tokelau +690
Tonga +676
Trinidad and Tobago +1 868
Tristan da Cunha +290 8
Tunisia +216
Turkey +90
Turkmenistan +993
Turks and Caicos Islands +1 649
Tuvalu +688
Uganda +256
Ukraine +380
United Arab Emirates +971
United Kingdom +44
United States +1
Universal Personal Telecommunications (UPT) +878
Uruguay +598
US Virgin Islands +1 340
Uzbekistan +998
Vanuatu +678
Venezuela +58
Vatican City State (Holy See) +39 06 698, assigned +379
Vietnam +84
Wake Island, USA +1 808
Wallis and Futuna +681
Yemen +967
Zambia +260
Zanzibar +255
Zimbabwe +263