Argentina Communications

Country code: 54. Phone centres known as locutorios can be found in most towns. Users are given their own phone booth and calls are added up and paid for at the end. Public pay phones are available in shops and restaurants and on some streets. These take 1 peso or 50 and 25 centavos coins. Most public telephones accept international phone cards.

Roaming agreements exist with some international mobile phone companies, but phones must be tri-band. Coverage is good in most parts of the country, but may be lacking in remote and mountain areas.

Available in most towns and cities in locutorios (phone centres) and internet cafes. Many estancias and rural areas are cut off from both internet and telephone access. Internet and Wi-Fi access are increasingly found in upper range hotels.

Airmail to Europe is slow and generally takes over a week, or even two. Surface mail to Europe takes on average 20 to 25 days but can take as long as 50 days, so it is advisable to send everything airmail. An express service offers guaranteed 24-hour delivery in Argentina, and one to five days worldwide. The main post office in Buenos Aires is located in Sarmiento 189.

Post office hours: Generally Mon-Fri 0800-2000, Sat 0900-1300, with some regional variation.

Following the return of democracy, freedom of the press was enshrined in the law, and newspapers, magazines, radio and television generally function free from government interference. However, individual journalists critical of the establishment are often bullied and ostracised by the powers that be, particularly in the provinces. The Buenos Aires Herald is the leading English-language newspaper in Latin America; The Argentimes is an English-language newspaper for young people.