At Home: If you have a computer with a modem at home, you can set up internet at home very easily. For Windows XP (other operating systems should be similar), follow these instructions:

1. Go to Control Panel

Network and Internet Connections

‘Set up or change your Internet connection’

Add

Dial to private network

(Phone number)

(Name; ex: Egypt Connection)

Plug the phone line into your modem, dial the connection, and that’s it! There is a ton of phone numbers you can use. One example is given, but there are many others with the same form (07770xxx). Look around on the street; you will often see advertisements for them. Some non-profit numbers include: 07779001, 07775757, 07075757.

There is no cost for this, except for regular local phone line usage. (Be careful, this adds up quickly!) Also, keep in mind that by doing this, you cannot use your phone while on the net and others can’t reach you.

Internet Café: There are also internet cafes all over the place. They are relatively cheap. Some also offer other computer and media services, like printing, faxing, and web cam. There is a nice, clean, air-conditioned internet café near Al-Diwan.

Local: Most apartments come with a phone line. Dialing directly is best for local calls.

International: To call internationally, you have a few choices:

Miftah Zero: This is a calling card that you can get at cell phone places. Use this to call internationally or for good rates to cell phones and other non-local numbers.

International Calling Booths: You will find many local stores that offer local, long distance, and international calling.

Internet: You can use online services to call internationally through the net. Some internet cafes offer this service. The connections at cafés are often better, and this method is extremely cheap. This is a good option if you don’t mind the lack of privacy.

Cell Phones: You may be able to use your cell phone from back home depending on what type of phone it is (tri-band). You can also buy a cell phone here (new or used) at cell phone stores or in Ataba. You have to buy the SIM card, which costs around 200 LE. Then you buy ‘charge cards’ (25 LE, 50 LE, 100 LE) to put credit on your phone. Rates for calls average around 1 to 1.5 LE per minute. You can also get a ‘line’ on your cell phone. Check cell phone stores for details. (Cell phone stores usually have the orange Mobinil or red Vodafone signs all over their windows… they are hard to miss.)

Payphones: It is a good idea to purchase a ‘Minatel’ card. These cards can be used any of the many green and yellow Minatel phone booths to make local or long distance calls. This is very convenient in case you are somewhere without access to a home or cell phone. The cards can be purchased at cell phone stores and many little grocery and stationary stores. Look for the green and yellow Minatel sign. (There is another company, called Ringo, which works like Minatel.)

Mail in Egypt is very slow, and not always reliable. The best is to use e-mail and fax, but if you must mail something (it always feels nice to get a real, handwritten, paper letter!) there are post offices and mailboxes around Nasr City