Bangkok Communications

All the communications services you require are available in Bangkok. Should your hotel not provide the services you need, they will gladly point out where you can find them. Postal services as well as computer, Internet and telephone services are on hand at business centres throughout town.

Thailand's postal services are generally reliant and efficient. Post offices are usually open Mondays to Fridays from 8am to 4.30pm, some are open Saturday 8.30am to 12.00.

Normal postal delivery and collection services are made twice a day - morning and afternoon. However, some areas are only serviced once a day.

Several individual shops offer reliable postal services, but add a small service fee on top of the regular postage. Major hotels provide basic postal services on their premises.

International courier services are also available and include DHL, Federal Express, TNT, UPS and Air Borne.

Telecommunication services in Thailand are on par with international standards, especially in urban areas like Bangkok. The two fixed line providers in the capital are state enterprise Telephone Organisation of Thailand (TOT) and privately owned Telecom Asia (TA). Fixed lines for offices and residences can be installed within a few days. Local call charges are three baht per call.

Since September 1, 2006 all telephone numbers in Thailand have ten digits including the area code. The international dialing code for Thailand is 66 and you must drop the 0 from the area code. International direct connections (IDD) to almost every country are provided by the Communication Authority of Thailand (CAT).

For directory assistance in the great Bangkok Metropolitan area, dial 13.
For directory assistance in the provincial areas, dial 183.
For operator-assisted long distance calls, dial 101 for domestic calls, 100 for international calls.

Public Telephone Services
Public telephones are found throughout town. International calls can be made at those marked as international phones which are found at the airport and most tourist areas, and generally take credit cards or calling cards which are available at convenience stores.

Mobile Telephone Services
Using your mobile phone in Thailand shouldn't be a problem if you arrange for international roaming in your home country. Thailand's leading service providers are Advance Info Service (AIS), Total Access Communication (DTAC) and TA Orange, which all provide GSM technology.

If you will be staying in Thailand for a while, it is worth considering purchasing a SIM card with a prepaid option - its much less expensive than roaming as well as making it easier for local parties to reach you. Cards to upload credit are available from convenience stores (e.g. 7/11) nationwide. A good place to buy a local SIM card or handset is MBK, where an entire floor is dedicated to mobile communications.

Fax Services
Facsimile services are provided at major hotels and otherwise found at business service centres throughout town.

Finding access to the Internet and email is absolutely no problem in Bangkok! Major hotels and serviced apartment residences provide communications services in their business centres. Moreover, rooms in high-end hotels and units in serviced apartment blocks often provide broadband access.

If your hotel or home has no Internet facilities, Bangkok abounds in cyber cafes scattered throughout down offering Internet access, word processing software, fax and phone services.

As for Internet service providers; there are 18 commercial ISPs and a number of non-commercial providers with services ranging from 56K dial-up to ISDN broadband. Both prepaid and subscriptions options are available.