Telephone Companies

(For general information on making calls and sending faxes in Phuket see telephone and fax facilities).

Getting a telephone line for your home is not always straightforward in Phuket. This is especially true if you live somewhere out of the way although the situation is improving.

In order to be able to qualify for a phone line as a foreigner, you need to have either a valid work permit, a long-stay non-immigrant visa or a residence permit.

There are currently three main telephone companies in Phuket from which you can apply for a telephone line. The first is the Telephone Organisation of Thailand (TOT), which is a state-run enterprise. The second is Thai Telephone & Telecommunications (TT&T), a joint venture between the government and the private sector. The third provider is True Corporation, a concessionaire of TOT, which also provides cable TV and broadband internet.

Although it is no longer necessary to have a phone line to be able to obtain internet access, if you require a land line it is important that when choosing somewhere to live that you ensure that either it has an existing phone line or that there are phone lines available in the area. This can be done by contacting the telecoms companies listed below: