• Phoning into South Africa
• Phoning out of South Africa
• Phoning around South Africa
• 08 numbers
• South Africa phone directories

South Africa has a well-developed communications infrastructure, with extensive landline phone networks and four mobile phone service providers - Cell C, MTN, Vodacom and Virgin Mobile - with far-reaching coverage.
Landline services are operated by Telkom SA Ltd, with a second operator, Neotel, currently in the process of setting up shop. Telkom public telephones use coins, phonecards or Worldcall. Phonecards and Worldcall can be purchased at most retail stores, petrol stations, post offices and airports.
You can rent mobile phones - we call them cellphones - from the airport on arrival. You should find an internet café in even the smallest towns, and the postal service works, offering the usual letter and parcel services as well as secure mail, freight and courier services.

PHONING INTO SOUTH AFRICA

If you're dialling a number in South Africa, it must be preceded by:
• +27, South Africa's international country code (the + sign represents the international access code for the country you're calling from); and either:
o The area code of the city or town in South Africa you're calling (leaving out the first zero), if you're calling a landline; or
o The cellular/mobile network code (leaving out the first zero), if you're calling a cellular/mobile network.
So, for example, to phone South African Airways' call centre from abroad, you'd dial +27 11 978 5313 (Johannesburg's area code is 011 - phoning from abroad, you leave out the zero).

Dialling codes in South Africa
The area codes of some of South Africa's major cities are: Bloemfontein 051, Cape Town 021, Durban 031, East London 043, Johannesburg 011, Pretoria 012, and Port Elizabeth 041.

PHONING OUT OF SOUTH AFRICA

To make an international call from South Africa, dial 00, followed by the country code of the country you wish to call, followed by the relevant area code (if there is one), followed by the phone number.

• Make International Call at Local Rates from South Africa - Dial 087 805 5762
• Step 1: Dial: 087 805 5762 from any mobile or landline
• Step 2: Dial destination number and press #e.g. 00 44 11 123 4567 #
• Countries: USA, UK(Landline), India, Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong and many more.
• Supported On: Vodacom, MTN, Cell C, Telkom and Neotel

What's my country's dialling code? US 011
One of the quickest ways to find out is to dial Telkom's 24-hour international customer care centre - 10903 - and ask. The service is free. Alternatively, go to Google and type in "dialling code [your country]".

Operator-assisted dialling
Telkom's international call centre - 10903 - offers 24-hour assistance to anyone wanting to make international calls or send faxes, along with general international directory information.

Home Direct
Telkom's Home Direct service allows you to call an operator in your home country free of charge, either to place a call on your "phone home" account, if you have one, or to arrange a reverse-charge call. Telkom's Phone Book lists all available country-specific Home Direct numbers in its international dialling code list. Alternatively, phone Telkom's international customer care centre at 10903.

Public phones for tourists
Telkom has placed public telephones at major tourist sites across South Africa. Coin-operated phones are blue, while cardphones are green, and both are user-friendly and compatible with hearing aid devices. They offer a reliable connection, high quality of speech, and are affordable.

PHONING AROUND SOUTH AFRICA

If you're in South Africa and phoning a landline - whether you're phoning from a landline or a mobile phone - the number must be preceded by the area code (including the first zero) for the city or town you're phoning.
If, on the other hand, you're phoning to a mobile number, you never use an area code, only the appropriate mobile network code.

08 NUMBERS
Many businesses and organisations have special landline numbers beginning with an 08 code - 0800, 0860, 0861, and so on. (But not 082, 083 or 084, which belong to the mobile networks.) These are, in effect, national numbers - area codes are dispensed with, and callers dial the same number regardless of where they are. Note that these lines can only be accessed from within South Africa.

• 080 numbers (usually 0800) - no charge to the caller.
• 0860 numbers - the caller does not pay for any long-distance portion of the call.
• 0861 numbers - the caller is charged a flat rate for the call.

SOUTH AFRICA PHONE DIRECTORIES

For landline numbers in South Africa, Consult Telkom's phone directories. The print versions are published and millions of copies distributed free of charge every year - you'll find them in airports, hotels, offices, homes and public phone booths just about everywhere. The online versions are at:

• Phone Book (White Pages) - residential Telkom subscribers.
• Yellow Pages - businesses, services and products.
• Alternatively, dial Telkom's telephonic directories:
• International - 10903
• Directory Services (Phone Book) - 1023
• Talking Yellow Pages - 10118
• Mobile Yellow Pages - SMS what you're looking for and where (eg "flowers cape town") to 34310.
  

Cell Phone Connectivity

Step 1
Buy the correct plug adapters from an electronics store before you leave home so that you can charge your cell phone while in South Africa. South Africa uses plug types "C," "G" and "M."

Step 2
Pack a transformer that can handle 220 to 230 volts, which is the voltage range used in South Africa, to use when charging your cell phone. Your cell phone will likely fry if you do not use the correct transformer.

Step 3
Notify your cell phone provider to inform them that you will be traveling to South Africa. Ask if they offer phone coverage in South Africa, and request to be upgraded to international roaming.

Step 4
Consider renting a cell phone or SIM card to use with your personal cell phone if your cellular company does not offer coverage in South Africa.

Step 5
Make sure that you know how to dial locally within South Africa. If you are dialing a place in South Africa with the same city code as which you are calling, just dial the number. If the number has a different area code, dial "0," plus the area code, plus the phone number.

Step 6
Be prepared to call the United States from South Africa. First dial "00" (this is the international prefix to dial outside of South Africa). Then dial "1" (this is the international code used to dial to the U.S.). Follow that by the area code and phone number.

Getting On-Line

WIFI and computer access are quite common in business class hotels. WIFI is available at coffee shops in the capital cities of most African countries. Most internet cafes will let you plug in your laptop to download but there will be a fee.

Wi-Fi Hotspots in: South Africa

Canal Walk Shopping Centre
Location: Cape Town

Coffee & Bites
Location: Cape Town

Nelson Mandela Square (Formally Sandton Square)
Location: Johannesburg

SA explorer
Location: Cape Town

Sandton Square
Location: Johannesburg

The Butcher Shop and Grill
Location: Johannesburg