Country code: 1 809. CODETEL (owned and operated by Verizon), Dominican Republic's telecommunications company, has produced the Comunicard, which enables tourists visiting the country to phone anywhere abroad from any touch-tone phone.

Roaming agreements exist with a number of international mobile phone companies. Coverage is good along most coastal areas and around towns but patchy elsewhere. There is a 3G network.

The number of Internet cafes is rapidly growing as the Dominican Republic embraces the Internet.

Airmail takes about 10 days to reach western Europe. It is advisable to post all mail at the central post office in Santo Domingo to ensure rapid handling.

The ownership of newspapers, TV channels and radio stations remains concentrated in the hands of the few economically or politically powerful. There are several terrestrial TV channels and some 30 multichannel cable TV operators. Most of the 200-plus radio stations are commercial. Press freedom is protected by law. Consequently media outlets carry diverse political views although some subjects, such as the Catholic Church and the army, are generally avoided.

• All daily papers are in Spanish and include El Caribe, Hoy, Listín Diario and El Nacional. The English-language Santo Domingo News is published weekly on Wednesday and may be obtained in hotels.
• There is an online English-language news service (website www.dr1.com).

• Radio Television Dominicana (Canal 4) and Rahintel (Canal 7) are state-owned channels.
• Other channels include Color Vision (Canal 9), Telesistema (Canal 11), Teleantillas (Canal 2) and Cadena de Noticias (CDN), a news-based channel.

• Cadena de Noticias (CDN) Radio is a news station.
• Radio Television Dominicana is government owned.
• Rumba FM is typical of Santo Domingo's earful of merengue and salsa music stations.