Internet in Cyprus
There is good news and bad news about Cyprus Internet. The good news is there are some outstanding Internet Service Providers. The bad news is that even now in 2018, many parts of Cyprus still do not have appropriate coverage, and the cost of Internet services is still amongst the highest in Europe.
The leading internet service providers offer excellent packages and service. However, they seem to be dragging their feet at realizing that all of Cyprus wants good internet services. We can only hope that this year will see a lot more areas covered by the providers of internet services.
For those that can get it, there are several providers to choose from, and various packages on offer, depending on your needs. Both business and home users are provided for.
The primary providers offer a choice of packages to the home user such as broadband internet plus phone line, or broadband internet plus phone line and TV, or the latest packages include broadband internet, plus phone line, plus mobile phone package.
You can choose from several broadband speed options, usually from 2Mbps up to 24Mbps, and even higher speeds are offered with 4G.
The leading platforms provided for broadband internet in Cyprus are ADSL, Cable, Satellite, and 4G. The most popular is ADSL, which most home and office users opt for. Cable is mostly available only to a few urban areas.
Satellite internet apparently has island-wide coverage; however, it may be considered too expensive for the average home user. 4G is more widely available now.
Recent years have seen the arrival of new companies offering broadband internet services to Cyprus, resulting in better pricing and services, as well as gifts at times for new subscribers.
The competition can be considered as healthy and beneficial to the population who now have choices in which provider to use, except for those who do not have coverage in the area they live and can only be serviced by satellite or mobile broadband.
Internet cafes are numerous throughout Cyprus. Most do not require any membership, you can just pop in, surf and pay, while there are a few that have membership options. Most internet cafe’s offer high-speed broadband internet.
Wifi internet is becoming more widely available in Cyprus. There are now many establishments that offer free wifi use to patrons, including hotels, cafe’s, and bars.
Telephones in Cyprus
The Cyprus International country code is 00 357.
With so many advanced mobile phones on the market nowadays, home user landline phones are not much in demand on their own, mainly only for internet connection. The cost of landline rental went up significantly over the past few years, which prompted many people to opt just for mobile phones.
There are several fixed line phone providers in Cyprus, however not all of them will offer just a phone line. Instead, some offer the phone line rental-free when incorporated with broadband internet and a digital tv package.
If you are moving to Cyprus and want to bring your phone set from the UK, it should work. Some models may not have ringing sound when used as an extension phone; however, this is not the case for all phones. If you choose to buy a new phone once you get to Cyprus, there is a good choice on offer and at reasonable prices.
Mobile phones seem to have taken over our lives, who can live without one! I know some people just hate them, but the majority of the population have at least one mobile phone, and some have as many as six! Some people go round with a mobile phone permanently stuck to their ear, while others can be seen shouting seemingly to themselves but are wearing a discreet headset. A lot of business in Cyprus is done over the mobile phone, and seemingly anywhere; in the office, at home, at the pub, in the car (actually illegal while driving but frequently seen) or even while shopping with the family.
If you wish to bring your UK mobile phone to use in Cyprus, but it is locked to your service provider, there are mobile phone unlocking services available in all of the major cities.
There are now several mobile phone service providers in Cyprus, and although the cost of calls does not differ vastly, the subscriber packages do, so check out what you are getting and what you have to pay before taking on a contract. The easiest way is to have Pay As You Go, which offers an excellent service, and reasonably priced both for the sim cards and the top up cards. PAYG packages also differ between providers, so it is best to ask what you get before you buy the sim card.
You can find just about all makes of mobile phones in Cyprus, and most brands have a service agreement with companies in Cyprus in case anything goes wrong, however, in some cases, the phone may have to be sent to Nicosia for repair, which can result in delays, so be prepared to wait.
Since June 2017, EU roaming charges were abolished, and Cyprus has adhered to the new law. However, Cyprus telecommunications providers are looking at ways to charge more to their local customers.