International and EU students

Communications

International dialling

You will find public telephones in most University buildings, at railway stations, Post Offices and in the street. These are coin or card operated. We recommend that you buy an International Phone Card from the Post Office or from a newsagent (shop selling newspapers) as these are much more economical.

Dialling out from the UK

If you are telephoning from the UK to another country (international call) you must dial the following code before dialling your number:

00 (to get out of the UK) followed by your country code
then your city prefix without its first 0, then your number

For example; to dial Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia 00 603 (and then your number).

Dialling in to the UK

The country code for the UK is 44. If you give your family and friends your telephone number, they need to dial:

44 (to get into the UK)
23 92 which is the code for Portsmouth from outside the UK. (If you are dialling Portsmouth from inside the UK, the code is 23 92) then your number

Halls of Residence

University Halls of Residence fees include free internal telephone calls, access to cheap and sometimes free external calls using out internet-based telephone system, free broadband service and access to 25 TV channels (a TV licence is required). Please ask at your hall of residence Reception Desk for advice.

Mobile Phones

If you wish to use a mobile phone during your stay in the UK, the cheapest option is to buy a 'pay-as-you-go' phone. This allows you to purchase credit for your phone from many different outlets when you need it.

The other choice is a 'contract' phone. The contract will require regular payments direct from your bank account. Please not that mobile phone contracts are usually issued for a minimum of one year.

Remember that it is illegal to use a hand-held mobile phone when driving, even when you are stopped at traffic lights or in a queue of traffic.