Full IDD is available. Country code: 41. Phonecards are available for use in payphones. Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is good. Internet access is available in Internet cafes and phone booths operated by Swisscom. Charges are payable by phonecard or credit card. The main broadcaster in Switzerland is the public Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. It operates seven TV networks and 18 radio stations. Most of its funding comes from licence fee revenues, while a smaller proportion comes from TV advertising. Private TV and radio stations operate in the regions. Television stations from France, Germany and Italy are widely available, thanks in part to the very high take-up of multi-channel cable and satellite TV. Some German commercial broadcasters provide tailored versions of their channels for the Swiss market. Switzerland's press operates to a large extent along regional lines which reflect the country's linguistic divisions. Press: The high level of interest in local politics throughout Switzerland has led to a large number of regional newspapers. However, the most popular dailies are Corriere del Ticino (Lugano-based), Le Temps (Geneva-based), La Tribune de Geneve (Geneva-based), Neue Zürcher Zeitung (Zurich-based), and Tages-Anzeiger Zürich (Zurich-based). European and international newspapers in English, including The Herald Tribune and USA Today, are also widely available. Radio: SR-DRS, the German-language public broadcaster, operates five stations; RSR, the French-language public broadcaster, has four stations; RSI, the Italian-language public broadcaster, broadcasts from three stations; RR, finally, is a Romansch-language public radio station. TV: In addition to the Swiss public broadcaster, Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, there is SF-DRS, a German-language public broadcaster that operates three channels; RTSI, an Italian-language public broadcaster with two channels; and TSR, a French-language public broadcaster that similarly operates two channels. Airmail within Europe takes three days. Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0730-1200 and 1345-1830. Saturday closing is at 1100 except in major cities.
|