Country Information

Country Code: . There are numerous public call boxes. Some boxes take coins, others phonecards or credit cards.

Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone operators. Coverage is mostly good, but can be patchy in rural areas. It is possible to buy a pay as you go sim card from any phone shop or booth.

There are internet cafés and centres in most urban areas. Some multimedia phone booths, often located at main railway stations and airports, offer touchscreen access. Most hotels also offer Wi-Fi, although this may be less likely in more rural areas. The City of London now has free Wi-Fi covering 95% of the Square Mile, whilst London Underground now offers Wi-Fi at station platforms across the network.

The British media are free and able to report on all subjects, although the recent Leveson inquiry has put the regulation of the press in the spotlight, with some seeing the recent deal to create a new press regulator as a threat to the freedom of the press. The variety of publications throughout the UK reflects the full spectrum of political opinion. There are a plethora of regional and local papers, some published on a daily basis. With regards to television and radio, the BBC is a taxpayer-funded network, whilst ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 are commercial networks. Dominated by about 10 major newspapers, UK circulation figures are amongst the highest in the world. Broadsheets are The Daily Telegraph, The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Observer (on Sunday) and The Times. The more popular tabloid newspapers are The Daily Express, The Daily Mail, The Daily Mirror and The Sun. Most papers have an associated Sunday newspaper, though there are some independents. There are also daily regional newspapers. The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) is funded by a licence fee, which all households with a TV set must pay. There is no advertising on the BBC. Commercial TV began in 1955 with the launch of ITV. Scotland's main national newspapers include The Scotsman, The Herald and the tabloid Daily Record, with regional papers The Press and Journal and The Courier read in the Aberdeen and Dundee areas respectively. All UK networks broadcast in Scotland, with substantial national Scottish input, mainly in the news, sport and current affairs sectors. BBC Alba is a digital channel broadcasting in Gaelic. The main Northern Irish daily newspapers are the Belfast Telegraph and the Irish News. There are numerous local newspapers produced in larger towns around the province. UK national and Republic of Ireland newspapers are also readily available, some produced in localised editions. All the national UK TV stations are available in Northern Ireland. BBC Northern Ireland is a publicly owned station; UTV is a commercial station.

Stamps are available from post offices and many shops and stores. There are stamp machines outside some post offices. Post boxes are red. First-class internal mail normally reaches its destination the day after posting (except in remote areas of Scotland), and most second-class mail the day after that. International postal connections are good.

Mon-Fri 0900-1730 and Sat 0900-1230, although some post offices are open much longer hours.