THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO TRAVELLING AMERICA

PHONES

The U.S. has a massive and effective phone system – both hard-line and cellular. You can dial anywhere in the country, and internationally, from just about any phone. All numbers consist of 10 digits – 123-456-7890. The country is divided into areas and the first 3 digits are the “area code.” You will have to dial the area code (usually with a 1 in front of that) to call outside a local calling area. In the local calling area (which could be a city, a neighborhood, or even a large section of a state), you usually only have to dial the last 7 digits.
...... Emergency service in the U.S. is 911. Numbers beginning with 800, 866, 877, 888 are toll-free within the U.S. Local directory assistance is 411. Long-distance directory assistance is 1-area code-555-1212. Domestic operators are at 0, long-distance operators at 00.
...... Cellular service in the U.S. is, technologically and coverage-wise, better than some parts of the world (Africa) and not as good as others (Europe). The U.S. uses both GSM and CDMA technologies. If you come to America with your GSM phone (from Europe, for example), you may be able to dial any number, as long as your phone service allows international roaming, or you purchase a U.S. SIM card.
...... Yet there are many spots in the wide-open country of the west (and elsewhere in the U.S.) where coverage is non-existent or limited to CDMA services (such as Verizon). We go into much greater detail about U.S. phone coverage and usage, especially regarding cell phones and international calling, in How To Travel America.

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