Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Telephone
Public phones are elusive in mobile-crazy Iceland. There may be a payphone outside the
post office or bus station, and at the local petrol station. Many payphones accept credit
cards as well as coins. Local calls are charged at around Ikr20 per minute.
To make international calls while in Iceland, first dial the international access code 00,
then the country code, the area or city code, and the telephone number.
To phone Iceland from abroad, dial your country's international access code, Iceland's
country code (354) and then the seven-digit phone number (note: Iceland has no area
codes).
Toll-free numbers in Iceland begin with 800; mobile phone numbers start with 6, 7 or 8.
There's an online version of the phone book at
http://en.ja.is/.
Useful numbers: directory enquiries 118 (local), 1811 (international).
BY THE TOPIC
Due to the unique way in which surnames are formed in Iceland (girls add the suffix -dót-
tir, daughter, to their father's first name; boys add the suffix -son), telephone directories
are alphabetised by first name.
Mobile Phones
The cheapest and most practical way to make calls at local rates is to purchase an
Icelandic SIM card and pop it into your own mobile phone (tip: bring an old phone from
home for that purpose). Before leaving home, make sure that your phone isn't blocked
from doing this by your home network. If you're coming from outside Europe, also check
that your phone will work in Europe's GSM 900/1800 network (US phones work on a dif-
ferent frequency).
You can buy a prepaid SIM card at bookstores, grocery stores and petrol stations
throughout the country. Top-up credit is available from the same outlets. When purchas-
ing a SIM card, there are two main players: Iceland telecom Síminn (
www.siminn.is/pre-
paid/
) provides the greatest network coverage; Vodafone (
http://www.vodafone.is/en/pre-
paid/
) is not far behind. Both companies have voice-and-data starter packs including loc-
al SIM cards; Síminn's costs Ikr2000 (and includes Ikr2000 in call credit).
