Staying Connected

Telephones

Public telephones with the Türk Telekom logo can be found around town. To make a call, simply purchase a prepaid phone card at the post office (PTT) or at a private vendor around town (who will charge a small markup). There are two types of phone cards, with no difference in the amount of talking time you get for your money. The older type of card operates through a magnetic strip. These are sold in 30, 60, or 100 units. The second, Smart Card telephone system, also available at the post office, operates using a superior chip technology and is sold in units of 50, 100, 200, and 350. You'll need at least 100 units to make an international call. Public telephones that accept the Smart Card also operate using personal credit cards.

The following access numbers will connect you with a U.S. operator for credit card or collect calls: AT&T (tel. 00/800-12277), MCI (tel. 00/800-11177), and Sprint (tel. 00/800-14477).

The dialing codes for calling your home country are 001 for the United States and Canada, 0044 for the United Kingdom, 0061 for Australia, and 0064 for New Zealand.

Dial local calls by using the seven-digit phone number; if dialing out of town, you must include 0 plus the city code. When calling a cellphone (identifiable by the 0531, 0532, 0533, 0534, 0535, and 0536, and so on, exchanges), you must include the zero. When dialing any number in Turkey from abroad, drop the zero. Istanbul has two city codes: 216 for the Asian side and 212 for the European side.

Cellphones -- Just because your cellphone works at home doesn't mean it'll work everywhere in the world. Nevertheless, most cellphone subscribers should have no trouble sending or receiving calls in Turkey. The exception is the American subscriber; thanks to the fragmented U.S. cellphone system, it's not a fait accompli that an American-based cellphone service will do you any good in Turkey. Thanks to Turkcell's ample stable of international roaming partners, U.K. users of T-Mobile, Orange, O-2, Vodafone, and Hutchison; Australian users of Singtel Optus, Telestra, Vodafone Pacific, and Hutchison 3G; Canadian users of Rogers Wireless and Microcell; and U.S. users of AT&T Mobility, Cincinnati Bell Wireless, Commnet Wireless, Jasper Wireless, T-Mobile, and Alltel, should experience seamless service. Still, it's a good bet that your phone will work in major cities, but take a look at your wireless company's coverage map on its website before heading out.

A good alternative to the high cost of roaming is to bring/buy a GSM standard dual-band cellphone with you and buy a prepaid, no-contract SIM card. Turkcell and Avea are the two telecommunications giants in Turkey; both sell SIM cards for about 15YTL ($13/£6), which includes 100 units' worth of calling. Additional units can be purchased at any of these companies' franchises (and there are many): The cost of 100 units is 15YTL ($13/£6), 250 units cost 34YTL ($30/£14), and 500 units cost 62YTL ($54/£25). Cards holding units of 25, 50, and 1,000 are also available.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

If you have Web access while traveling, you might consider a broadband-based telephone service (in technical terms, Voice over Internet protocol, or VoIP) such as Skype (www.skype.com) or Vonage (www.vonage.com), which allows you to make free international calls if you use their services from your laptop or in a cybercafe. The people you're calling must also use the service for it to work; check the sites for details.

Internet & E-Mail

Without Your Own Computer -- Most hotels now provide free Internet as part of the hotel's services. ISDN lines are also becoming standard equipment in better hotels. Wireless access is even becoming quite prevalent. If you and 20 other people are relying on the hotel computer, there's still bound to be an Internet cafe nearby, and dirt cheap to boot. An hour of Internet use costs anywhere from $1.25 to $8, depending on where you are. For dinosaur dial-up users, AOL's local access number in Istanbul is tel. 0212/234-6100. AT&T Business Internet Services can be accessed at tel. 0212/399-0001 and 399-0050. Both charge supplementary connection fees.

With Your Own Computer -- More and more hotels, resorts, airports, cafes, and retailers are going Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity), becoming "hot spots" that offer free high-speed Wi-Fi access or charge a small fee for usage. Wi-Fi is even found in campgrounds, RV parks, and even entire towns. Most laptops sold today have built-in wireless capability. To find public Wi-Fi hot spots at your destination, go to www.jiwire.com; its Hotspot Finder holds the world's largest directory of public wireless hot spots.

Wherever you go, bring a connection kit of the right power and phone adapters, a spare phone cord, and a spare Ethernet network cable -- or find out whether your hotel supplies them to guests.