Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Telephone
The telephone country code for Thailand is 66 and is used when calling the country from abroad. All Thai telephone
numbers are preceded by a '0' if you're dialling domestically (the '0' is omitted when calling from overseas). After the
initial '0', the next three numbers represent the provincial area code, which is now integral to the telephone number. If
the initial '0' is followed by an '8' or a '9', then you're dialling a mobile phone.
International Calls
If you want to call an international number from a telephone in Thailand, you must first dial an international access code
plus the country code followed by the subscriber number.
In Thailand, there are various international access codes charging different rates per minute. The standard direct-dial
prefix is 001; it is operated by CAT and is considered to have the best sound quality; it connects to the largest num-
ber of countries but is also the most expensive. The next best is 007, a prefix operated by TOT with reliable quality
and slightly cheaper rates. Economy rates are available through different carriers; do an internet search to determine pro-
motion codes.
The following are some common international country codes:
61 Australia,
44 UK and
1 US.
Dial 100 for operator-assisted international calls or reverse-charges (collect) call. Alternatively, contact your
long-distance carrier for their overseas operator number, a toll-free call, or try
001 9991 2001 from a CAT phone
and
1 800 000 120 from a TOT phone.
Mobile Phones
The easiest phone option in Thailand is to acquire a mobile (cell) phone equipped with a local SIM card.
Thailand is on the GSM network and mobile phone providers include AIS (1 2 Call), DTAC and True Move.
You have two hand-phone options: you can buy a mobile phone in Thailand at one of the urban shopping malls or
phone stores near the markets in provincial towns. Or you can use an imported phone that isn't SIM-locked (and one
that supports the GSM network). To get started, buy a SIM card of a particular carrier, which includes an assigned tele-
phone number. Once your phone is SIM-enabled you can buy minutes with prepaid phonecards. SIM cards and refill
cards (usually sold in 300B to 500B denominations) can be bought from 7-Elevens throughout the country.
Thailand finally has a 3G network and True Move is offering 4G LTE coverage in Bangkok. Coverage and quality of
the different carriers varies from year to year based on network upgrades and capacity. As of 2013 True was regarded
with the highest data connectivity, though this could change. Carriers usually sell talk-data packages based on usage
amounts.
Calling overseas through phones in most hotel rooms usually incurs additional surcharges (sometimes as much as
50% over and above the CAT rate). Some guesthouses will have a mobile phone or landline that customers can use for a
per-minute fee for overseas calls.
Time
Thailand's time zone is seven hours ahead of GMT/UTC (London). Times are expressed according to the 24-hour clock,
eg 11pm is written '23.00' in most cases.
