Telephone Services

Whether living in a Harvard dormitory, in affiliated housing or in the greater Boston area you will have many choices of telecommunication services to choose from at a range of prices.

Cellular/Mobile Phones

When purchasing a cellular/mobile phone, you are normally asked for a Social Security Number (SSN). If you do not have one and are not eligible for one, you will be asked to pay a security deposit. The amount of the deposit varies according to the provider. There are alternatives to avoid the SSN or deposit requirement. One is to buy a prepaid mobile phone, which is possible to do at local stores such as Radio Shack in Harvard Square or T-Mobile in Central Square. Another is to use Cellular LD to make international long distance phone calls from your mobile phone. Please check here for detailed information. Check with Lower My Bills website for price comparison.

Land-Line

When arranging for land-line telephone service in your dormitory or apartment, two plans will have to be purchased - a local plan and a long distance plan.

Telephone

It is your responsibility to provide a telephone if you want to have a landline telephone service. Inexpensive models, guaranteed for one year, may be purchased in stores around Harvard Square. Radio Shack, 28 John F. Kennedy Street, (617-354-7840).

Harvard Dormitories

If you live in a Harvard dormitory, call Paetec (800-960-6555) to order telephone service. Inquire about the different calling plans and payment options that are available from Paetec. Since your room should already have a telephone "jack" you will be charged a minimal installation fee.

Long-Distance Service

When you request local telephone service from a telephone company, you will be asked to choose a long-distance service from the many companies available. Rates change frequently and competition among companies is to the advantage of the customer. Linking to the Lower My Bills website will give you a good sense of cost of the different phone services. Some well known telephone companies for long-distance service are: AT&T, ITT Consumer Service, MCI, RCI Long Distance, and Sprint. The telephone numbers for these companies are listed in the yellow pages of the telephone directory under Telephone Companies.

Phone/Calling Card

You may also want to consider using a phone card instead of a long-distance service. A good choice for finding an appropriate card is Zaptel. You will be provided with choices of phone cards which have the best rates for calling your home country.

Using the Telephone

All telephone numbers in the United States have ten digits: a three-digit area code plus a seven digit local number e.g. 617-495-2789

• Local Call: Dial the three-digit area code plus the seven digit local code
• Long-distance: Dial 1, then the three-digit area code plus the seven-digit number
• Dial 0 to receive assistance from a telephone operator
• Dial 411 for telephone information in any state in the United States
• Dial 911 for emergency help (police, fire or ambulance) in any state in the United States
• Telephone answering machines and voice mail services are very common.
• An automated voice may ask you to press the pound button (#) after certain procedures.
• Public or pay telephones are located throughout the city, both indoors and outdoors.
• Calls from public phones cost at least 50 cents for the first three minutes. Follow the instructions on the phone.
• Some public telephones are specially marked for emergency calls only. At Harvard, there are blue phones which are for emergency help.