About Telephones and Calling in Budapest

Background

This is written by a Finn to a Finn, so I assume you have a mobile phone. If not, read just the last paragraph.

There're at least two mobile phone operators: Pannon GSM and Westel 900. The Finnish companies have roaming deals with both of them. The net that my phone (RL) was using was changing on its own between the two. Probably from the cheaper one to the more expensive. There seemed to be something wrong with Pannon in the beginning. Once I had to call four times until I got through, and Janne had some problems sending SMS-messages. The ones I sent worked fine. Later I had no problems.

Some numbers

I'm not sure about all of the next information, I might remember wrong (yes, it has happened).

• Calling from Finland to Hungary: +36-y-xxxxxxx or 990-36-y-xxxxxxx or 994-... or 999-... or whatever. y is the area code in Hungary. 1 for Budapest, 20 (?) for Pannon GSM.
• Calling from Hungary to Finland: +358-y-xxxxxx or 00-358-y-xxxxxx.
• From Budapest to the countryside: 06-y-xxxxxxx.
• From countryside to Budapest: 06-1-xxxxxxx.
• From Budapest to Budapest: xxxxxxx.

Making it cheap(er)

Using the Finnish card is quite expensive: calling to Finland or to other Finnish handy was ca. 6mk/minute, and receiving calls about 2mk/minute. I don't talk so it wasn't any problem. But for example, Mikko succeeded to get a bill of over 1000mk/month.

For over-talkative human beings buying a local SIM-card could be a good idea, especially if there are many of them. It works like this: you go to a Pannon shop and buy a card. They have cards in different prices. The more you pay, the more you get talking time and the smaller the price/minute. The card is payed in advance in cash (by now they probably accept credit cards.) When the card is in your phone, you call a certain number and give a certain code (DTMF) to activate your card. This is done in the shop so that they'll help. After that you have a Hungarian 06-20-xxxxxxx number.

With the Pannon (Westel has a similar service, according to their web page) card you pay just for the calls you make, receiving is free. You'll see in your phone the amount of money left on your card. When your card is empty, you can't call but you may still receive calls. And you can go to the shop, pay some more and get the card functional again.

Without a cellulite-phone

For local calls the cheapest choice is a phone box or the coin phone in the lobby of Martos. And there's also a phone on every floor of Martos. They can be only used to receive calls. At least in the third floor nobody bothered to answer the phone until it had ringed 'bout 20 times (unless one was waiting for a call, of course)

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