Jamaica - Telephone Service

Using a Cellphone in Jamaica--The three letters that define much of the world's wireless capabilities are GSM (Global System for Mobiles), a big, seamless network that makes for easy cross-border cellphone use throughout Europe and dozens of other countries worldwide. In the U.S., T-Mobile, AT&T Wireless, and Cingular use this quasi-universal system; in Canada, Microcell and some Rogers customers are GSM; and all Europeans and most Australians use GSM.

If your cellphone is on a GSM system, and you have a world-capable phone such as many (but not all) Sony Ericsson, Motorola, or Samsung models, you can make and receive calls across civilized areas on much of the globe, from Andorra to Uganda, and certainly Jamaica. Just call your wireless operator and ask for "international roaming" to be activated on your account. Unfortunately, per-minute charges can be high.

World-phone owners can bring down their per-minute charges with a bit of trickery. Call up your cellular operator and say you'll be going abroad for several months and want to "unlock" your phone to use it with a local provider. Usually, they'll oblige. Then, in Jamaica, pick up a cheap, prepaid phone chip at a mobile-phone store and slip it into your phone. (Show your phone to the salesperson, as not all phones work on all networks.) You'll get a local phone number-and much, much lower calling rates.

Otherwise, renting a phone is a good idea. While you can rent a phone from any number of overseas sites, including kiosks at airports and at car-rental agencies, we suggest renting the phone before you leave home. That way you can give loved ones your new number, make sure the phone works, and take the phone wherever you go-especially helpful when you rent overseas, where phone-rental agencies bill in local currency and may not let you take the phone to another country.

Two good wireless rental companies are InTouch USA (tel. 800/872-7626; www.intouchglobal.com) and Roadpost (tel. 888/290-1606 or 905/272-5665; www.roadpost.com). Give them your itinerary and they'll tell you what wireless products you need. InTouch will also, for free, advise you on whether your existing phone will work in Jamaica; simply call tel. 703/222-7161 between 9am and 4pm EST, or go to http://intouchglobal.com/travel.htm.

Jamaica is well connected to the rest of the world. Direct international telephone service operates in all areas 24 hours a day, and telephone operators will gladly facilitate collect, third party or credit card calls. Telephone Codes: 876, area code.International faxes, cables and telegrams can be sent from most hotels and post offices. Email and Internet access is available too, usually at hotels and parish libraries, but also at local Internet Cafes. There are three daily national newspapers and five weekend newspapers, all available at hotel front desks, newsstands and vendors islandwide. Some hotels and gift shops receive the international editions of major newspapers and magazines such as the New York Times, TIME, The Economist and the London Times. There are about five local television stations, all of which broadcast islandwide, showing a combination of local and international productions. Radio is immensely popular in Jamaica, and with close to 20 FM stations, one can get up-to-the-minute local and international news, sports and weather, as well as continuous music of all genres.