The United States has a well-developed network of communications ranging from traditional postal services to advanced telecommunications. Harvard University offers you access to many communication services. If you do not live on-campus, off-campus services will be required to send and receive international freight and to obtain telephone and Internet service. Most communications services in the United States (with the exception of the U.S. Postal Service) are privately owned and operated; they compete for customers and offer many different choices for a wide range of prices.

When arranging for telephone service in your dormitory or apartment, you will be amazed at the number of options available. Service is divided into two parts, local and long distance. Verizon provides local service in this area, while you are free to choose which company to use for your long distance calls. All rates are subject to change. Verizon's web site: http://www22.verizon.com

Telephone Equipment It is your responsibility to provide a telephone if you want to have telephone service. You may either buy or rent a telephone. If you plan to be in Cambridge for more than a few months you would probably save money by buying a telephone. Inexpensive models, guaranteed for one year, may be purchased for approximately $15 to $30 in stores around Harvard Square. Try the Harvard Cooperative Society, "The Coop," (617-499-2000), Radio Shack, 28 John F. Kennedy Street, (617-354-7840), or Harvard Student Agencies, 67 Mt. Auburn St. ( 617-495-3030 ).

Types of Telephone Service In addition to purchasing or leasing a phone you will also have to pay an installation charge (or hook-up charge) as well as a monthly fee, which depends on the number of phones you have and on how much you use your telephone. You must also choose which types of local or long-distance service you will need.

Harvard Dormitories If you live in a Harvard dormitory, call Paetec 1-800-960-6555 or log on at: www.paetec.harvard.edu to order telephone service. Inquire about the different calling plans and payment options that are available to you from Paetec. Since your room should already have a telephone jack (where you plug in your telephone) you will be charged a minimal installation fee.

Apartment/House If your apartment or house already has telephone jacks (where you plug in your telephone) you can connect a jack yourself to existing wiring (kits for doing this are available in telephone stores). If an installer from Verizon must come to your home to install a jack, you will be charged for the first telephone jack and for any additional jacks you may require. To order telephone service call: 1-800-980-9999. When you call this number you will be able to speak directly to a customer service representative who will answer all your questions about the various types of phone service.

Long-Distance Service When you request local telephone service from Verizon, 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. You might want to call some of the following long-distance companies for further information and to compare rates: 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. You may also want to consider using a phone card instead of a long-distance service. A god choice for finding an appropriate card is Zaptel. When you log on to http://www.zaptel.com/, you will be provided with choices of the phone cards which have the best rates for calling to your home country.

Using the Telephone All telephone numbers in the U.S. have ten digits: a three-digit area code plus a seven-digit local telephone number. Each state has at least one area code; some states have more than one. To make a local call, dial the three-digit area code plus the seven digit local code. To make a long-distance call within the same area code, or to a different area code, dial 1 plus the three-digit area code plus the seven-digit number. Dial 0 to receive assistance from a telephone operator. Continuous short buzzes indicate that the telephone number you are calling is engaged (busy). Telephone answering machines and "voice mail" are very common; don't be surprised if you get a recorded message asking you to leave a message after the tone. You may be asked to press the pound button after certain procedures. They symbol for the pound button is #. Public or pay telephones are located throughout the city, both indoors and outdoors. Calls from public phones cost at least 35 to 50 cents for three minutes. Follow the instructions on the phone. Some public telephones are specially marked for emergency calls only.

Mobile Phones There are many mobile phone options, and you will want to do "comparison shopping." When you purchase a mobile phone, you are normally asked for a Social Security Number (SSN). If you do not have one and you are not eligible for one because you will not be working in the U.S., you will be asked to pay a security deposit. The amount of the deposit varies according to the provider.

There are alternatives that 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. Another is to use University Mobile (UM), which offers a service customized for US-based international students and scholars. Service is ordered online at www.universitymobile.com and phones are shipped by Priority Mail. (University Mobile is not affiliated with Harvard University.)