Methods of Communication
Post Office: Follow the main road past Tam Tams to the end – it’s on the other side of the road, to the left.
There are telephone boxes outside the Post Office but if you are making international calls use the internet cafe's.
The Post Office sometimes charges you for parcels that arrive from the UK, maybe something to do with the size, the weight and what the cost of the goods is declared as being on the outside of the parcel!
I had to send an A5 fax sheet to the UK from the Post Office, it cost me 400cve (4 euros).
CV Telecom: Is next to the Post Office. You must get your mobile unlocked in the UK before you come out to CV if you want to buy and use a CVTelecom SIM card. The SIM card and some credit will cost you 5 euros. The 5 euros cover some credit, the sim card is free. You can arrange for someone in CV to buy you the new sim before you arrive but your mobile that you are bringing over to CV MUST be 'unlocked' in UK, or it won't work. In order to pre-buy your sim card you must provide the person who is buying you the sim card, with a copy of your passport details for them to take to CVtelecom.
A mobile should only really to be used for local calls not for international calls, otherwise the calls could be expensive, but they are getting cheaper. It is a reasonable rate to text the UK with a local sim.
If someone wants to call you on your mobile from the UK then check out the website http://www.telesavers.co.uk or other similar websites. Sometimes CVTelecom will have special offers making international calls cheaper through their system.
One tourist was contacted on his personal mobile by someone in the UK, the call cost him £10.
Mobiles are not cheap to buy over here.
Broadband: You can get Broadband on the island although it’s expensive initially i.e. think its either 500/700 e outlay then about 70e a month if using a lot. You get the 700e back when you stop using Broadband. If you have a business and are using dial up, it may cost you 70e a month anyway, and it’s a lot slower than Broadband. Make sure your name goes down on the waiting list for an ADSL line.
Dial up: If living on Sal and you manage to obtain a phone line, you can apply for dial up for internet access.
Telephones: Public phones are also situated on the way to the beach up the road between the Cinema and the BCA bank, also outside the Post Office. There is also a small shop which opened in December 05 with some small phone booths, internet access and it also hires DVD’s or videos for the day (2-3euros I think), not sure in what language though. There are others opening up all the time.
Skype: Another cheap way of contacting friends and family from abroad through the internet.
3D.Com: Cheap way to talk to friends & family from abroad using 'Phone serve Medium of Communication' at 3D.Com Internet Cafe. They also seem to be the cheapest walk-in internet service in Santa Maria. They only have a small amount of English DVD´s for hire.
Copyright © 2006 CAThomas
Internet access isn’t reliable here; it sometimes doesn’t work on the island for days. Those that are looking to set up business on Sal using the internet for communication – be warned. However, there is an alternative project being developed independently, which will make things much better.
