144 CultureShock! Egypt
Phones
Forget everything else and just go straight to the nearest
centre and get the latest and greatest in telephone
communication—a mobile phone. (They are called cellular
phones in the US and mobile phones in Egypt.) It is
inexpensive and, for most people, a necessity in Egypt. If
you truly do not want anyone to be able to find you easily
by phone, skip this paragraph and see the information below
on landline service. Practically everywhere you go, mobile
phones ring, beep or incessantly play tunes while people
scramble to retrieve them from their pockets or bags. Don’t
be surprised to find your tour guide sporting the latest model
and having an email address, something unheard just a
few years ago! Pretty much all of the inhabited parts of the
country are covered by mobile communication but, certainly,
there are still areas off the beaten path that do not have
cellular service. If you are planning on taking a mobile phone
into Egypt, you need one that is of GSM (Global System for
Mobile Communication) technology (900 mHz). Rate plans
abound that include services for short- and long-term mobile
users. I actually found that my international calls were no
more expensive using my mobile phone than if I went to a
phone centre. By the way, whenever you talk from a cellphone
(calling or receiving), it is still considered a long distance
call—even if you are calling a phone in the next room!
Egypt’s landline telephone system has improved
tremendously in the past few years, but is still far from perfect
in outlying areas. Two new private telephone companies that
own public phone booths may be found around stations,
in main squares and hotel lobbies. Both have prepaid
phone cards that can be bought almost anywhere and used
throughout Egypt. Some store owners may permit limited
calls to be made from their lines, but you should always
offer to reimburse them for the service. Telephone offices
also have a large number of phone booths for both local and
overseas calls.
I used to go to one of the major hotels to make overseas
calls. I now either use my mobile phone or go to one of
the phone centres because it tends to be less expensive.