Communication in India
PhoneThe country code for India is 91. India is then divided into area codes, known locally as STD codes. See individual city guides for the area codes.
In acronym-happy India, a phone booth is known as a PCO (Public Call Office) and they usually offer STD/ISD (Subscriber Trunk Dialing/International Subscriber Dialing), or national and international long distance respectively. These are usually staffed, and you dial yourself but pay to the attendant after the call is over. Metering is done per pulse and a service charge of Rs 2 is added to the bill. Larger cities also have Western-style unmanned public phones, which are usually red in colour and accept one rupee coins.
In acronym-happy India, a phone booth is known as a PCO (Public Call Office) and they usually offer STD/ISD (Subscriber Trunk Dialing/International Subscriber Dialing), or national and international long distance respectively. These are usually staffed, and you dial yourself but pay to the attendant after the call is over. Metering is done per pulse and a service charge of Rs 2 is added to the bill. Larger cities also have Western-style unmanned public phones, which are usually red in colour and accept one rupee coins.
Local phone numbers can be anywhere from 5 to 8 digits long. But when the area code is included, all landline phone numbers in India are 11 digits long.Cellphone numbers are 10 digits long and usually start with '9'.You will be advised to prefix '0' to a cellphone number, while making an STD call. When calling from a landline phone, the syntax varies based on where you are calling to, as India is divided into circles that are almost, but not quite, the same as states. For example, for phone number 12345678 in area code 22
(Mumbai):
Toll-free numbers start with 1-800 or 1-600, although toll-free numbers can be dialed from any landline operator certain numbers are operator-dependent: you can't call a BSNL/MTNL toll-free number from an Airtel landline, and vice versa. Toll-free numbers may not work from your cellular phone. Other National Numbers that starts with 18xx or 19xx may attract Local or Special call charges as specified by the service provider.
Toll-free numbers start with 1-800 or 1-600, although toll-free numbers can be dialed from any landline operator certain numbers are operator-dependent: you can't call a BSNL/MTNL toll-free number from an Airtel landline, and vice versa. Toll-free numbers may not work from your cellular phone. Other National Numbers that starts with 18xx or 19xx may attract Local or Special call charges as specified by the service provider.
To dial outside the country from India, prefix the country code with 00. E.g a US number would be dialed as 00-1-555-555-5555. Calling the USA/Canada/UK over the normal telephone line will cost you about Rs. 7.20 per minute. Calls to other countries, particularly to the Middle East, can be more expensive.
Dial codes for popular towns and cities in India:
Ahmedabad -79
Bangalore - 80
Chennai - 44
Delhi - 11
Hyderabad - 40
Jaipur - 141
Kolkata - 33
Kochi -484
Bangalore - 80
Chennai - 44
Delhi - 11
Hyderabad - 40
Jaipur - 141
Kolkata - 33
Kochi -484
MobileIndia uses both GSM and CDMA and mobile phones are widely available, starting from Rs. 500. Major operators include BSNL, Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular, Reliance India Mobile, Tata Indicom, Aircel, Spice and Vodafone. Roaming between states is seamless and roaming charges may vary between Re. 1 - Rs 1.50 per minute for incoming - Rs. 1.50 - Rs 2.60 for outgoing calls. If you are constantly calling out of state or roaming, consider getting a STD calling card. Fully loaded prepaid starter kits are available for around Rs. 500, including several hundred rupees of call time (or little as Rs.120 if you are able to produce some sort of a valid local identification). Local calls cost as little as Re. 1 per minute. Bring along your passport when applying and get ready to pose for a photo (or bring your own). Beware that talk time (unexpired minutes of talk time) and validity (the date that the sim card expires) are considered separate and you have to keep both topped up, or otherwise you may find the Rs.500 you just recharged disappearing in a puff of smoke when the one-month validity expires. Usually, when you extend the validity, you will also get extra minutes but you can buy minutes for less without extending the validity.
When calling from a mobile phone, you need to prefix the STD code even for a local call.
When calling from a mobile phone, you need to prefix the STD code even for a local call.
Note : It costs about the same to make an international call from a mobile or a fixed line (PCO) in India (as opposed to Europe). It is quite cheap to directly dial international destinations from a mobile phone.
InternetInternet kiosks are everywhere nowadays and they charge as low as as Rs. 10 to 20 per hour(the cost being a compromise for speed). Beware of using your credit cards online as many cases have come forward regarding credit cards thefts using keyloggers. More reliable chains include Reliance Web World and Sify iWay.
Calling overseas is also very cheap if you use the many booths that advertise 'Net2Phone' service. Basically it is calling over the Internet. The quality ranges from tolerable to excellent, and the price is very good, with calls to the USA ranging from Rs. 2 to Rs. 5 per minute.
Wifi hotspots in India are, for most part, limited. The major airports and stations do offer paid wifi at around Rs60-100 an hour. Bangalore, Pune and Mumbai are the only cities with decent wifi coverage. Most Cafe Coffee Day and Barista stores in the larger cities offer free wifi. This often comes with a cover charge, which may be used on the coffee/drinks/snacks.
Most internet users in India do not rely on wifi too much. GPRS datacards/USB modems are widely used, but these require signing contracts with operators and thus not a practical option for short-term visitors without a residential address in India. The better companies such as Airtel (GSM) and Tata indicom (CDMA) do not rent datacards, which means that you have to buy them outright. Reliance charges Rs 650 per month (1GB downloading free, Rs2/mb) for a datacard/USB modem. The cheap price also means a 256kbps connection, by the way.
http://wikitravel.org/en/India
http://wikitravel.org/en/India
