Utilities and communication

Television

To watch cable TV you must be connected through a cable company and pay for subscription to your choice of channels. You can also get a satellite dish and subscribe to the channels you need. Digital TV can also be subscribed to at most good electrical stores. This entails getting a free digital decoder, though you will still need to have an aerial.

You should note that everyone who owns and uses a TV set in the UK must pay for a TV licence. A black and white TV licence costs 45.50 GBP, while a colour TV licence costs 135.50 GBP annually. They can be purchased at any post office. The fine for not having a TV licence is up to 1,000 GBP.

Electricity

When you move into your new home or flat, check with your landlord or estate agent to find out who the current water, gas, and electricity providers are. If you decide to use the same providers, you will have to open an account in your name. You might also want to shop around for the best deals. Read the meters the day you move in.

In most rental properties, the landlord is responsible for paying the water. Otherwise, you can expect to pay about 260 GBP per year for water and sewage. Your electric and gas bills will arrive quarterly, and can be paid by direct debit.

Driving System

UK has a left hand side driving system.

If you hold a drivers license from any EEA country, your license is valid in the UK as long as the license itself remains valid.

If you are from a country outside of the European Economic Area, provided your full licence remains valid, you can drive any category of small vehicle shown on your licence for up to 12 months from the time you became resident. To ensure continuous driving entitlement a provisional GB licence must have been obtained and a driving test(s) passed before the 12 month period elapses. If you obtain a provisional licence during this period, you are not subject to provisional licence conditions e.g. displaying `L' plates or being supervised by a qualified driver or being precluded from motorways.

However, if you do not pass a test within the 12 month concessionary period you will not be allowed to drive as a full licence holder and provisional licence conditions will apply.

If you do not apply for a provisional licence within the first 12 months you must stop driving and obtain a British provisional licence with a view to passing a driving test. Provisional licence conditions will then apply.

Phoning

England's famous red phone boxes can still be seen in city streets and especially in conservation areas, although soulless glass cubicles are more common these days. Either way, public phones accept coins, and usually credit cards. Minimum charge is 0.20.

Codes or numbers starting with 0500 or 0800 are free; 0845 is local-call rate; 0870 is national-call rate; 0891 or 0906 is premium rate. Codes for mobile phones usually start with 07 and are, obviously, more expensive than calling a land line.

For the operator call 100, and to make reverse-charge (collect) calls, dial 155 for the international operator.

Mobile Phones

Getting a mobile/cell phone in the UK is simple. They are sold in many shops, and there are four mobile phone companies (Orange, Vodaphone, 02 and Virgin) operating with different charge package plans. You can also sign up for a 12-month package plan.

GSM Coverage is comprehensive across the six main providers in England, though this system is not compatible with the North American GSM 1900 or the totally different system in Japan (though many North Americans have GSM 1900/900 phones that do work in England - check with your provider). High competition means users have a wealth of choices in the UK though charges are relatively high compared to other European countries. You can also rent a phone from various companies from around 20.00 per week, depending on the hire period. In this case, however, you can't use your existing number.

Home phones and internet

The UK has two kinds of phone lines – analogue and digital. British Telecom (BT) mainly uses the analogue system, unless you install an ISDN line, which is digital. In some areas it is possible to get an even faster line, the ADSL line.

Broadband internet access is slowly spreading, but it is not available in all areas. There are many cable network companies that will also install digital phone lines, along with cable TV.