1.0 Internet: Internet cafes are
throughout the city. There are significant price differences (between 35 SYP and 100 SYP per hour, outside Bab Touma usually cheaper). With a membership card using the Internet is cheaper than without. The connection is usually slow, sometimes it is impossible to use because either the Internet or the power fails completely, or the connection constantly broken. Hotmail and Yahoo Mail are officially banned. Therefore, it is advisable to transfer and / or an alternate email address set. Internet Cafes find a way around the prohibition on use. However, this connection is even slower. Web.de is no longer in contrast to 2001, prohibited. If you have a private telephone line, Internet access is possible from home (45 SYP per hour). In contrast to 2000, very few sites are prohibited. It is even possible Israeli newspapers read online.
Despite the new freedom, one should be aware that all Internet traffic goes through a central server of the government and this so is able to sniff each e-mail or run to "shoulder surfing". The same applies of course also for telephone and mail.
'''internet at home''' (as August 2007)
It is possible to go "home" to the Internet via dial up, provided you have a (working) fixed line. To this end,''scratch cards / dial up cards / prepaid internet access cards''are sold on which one must be free to scratch a secret number. With the help of a free access number can go as over the fixed network online. 16 hours internet cost 300 Syp / $ 6, which is less than 20 SYP (30 euro cents) per hour. Several companies, including "aya", "e-LCOM", "aloola" and "sawa" offer this service.
DSL is theoretically possible, but seems to get difficult, partly because demand exceeds supply.
1.1 VoIP
Voice over IP (Internet telephony) offer the most Internet cafes. Thus it is possible (almost) every port around the world to call for a small fee. This phone is by far the least expensive way home. However, privacy on the Internet Cafe is not assured.
2.0
The phone lines (fixed and mobile, innersyrisch or abroad) are often overloaded and the long queues at the phone booths. The mobile communication is growing faster than the mobile network.
2.1 Hard Power
from Germany to Syria, it is cheaper than from Syria to Germany. exist between the individual carriers significant price differences (you can www.billiger-telefonieren.de). You can have calls returned in the Syrian cell phone, the number is in the phone booth.
There are phone cards with chip and chip without (Hello Syria, with access code and PIN) (both around 500 SYP, available at Uncle Ahmed). Phone cards with chip allow a more reliable connection than phone cards with PIN numbers, as can be overloaded with the card without a chip, both the telephone network and the computer Hello Syria. For this you can use the card without a chip from any phone and can call from home, without incurring the additional costs or the phone for long distance calls or mobile phones are unlocked. (Most landline phones are not enabled for wireless connections or international calls). For calls in the home but is VoIP (Internet telephony) is much cheaper than any phone card.
2.2 mobile network
The technical standard for mobile phones in Syria is the same as in Germany. German phones work in Syria. Mobile phone contract with a German work in part and not in part. Sometimes you can send SMS but not received or received but not send or neither, or both. Have to try to spot. The information from the German mobile phone company are not very helpful. In some cases, different SIM cards the same contract the same German telephone company of different things (not). Syria has a cell phone network only since mid-2000. The end of the mobile-free society was inaugurated in 2003 by massive price cuts. Many camera phones show a picture of the president.
You can buy a Syrian pre-paid card or get a normal contract. Mobile - mobile is cheaper than mobile - fixed. The two mobile companies called Syriatel and Spacetel Syria. There are no competition or price differences between these two companies - the main difference is the color in advertising, one is green the other red. Arabic text messages is thus also possible of course. German Chargers work with Syrian outlets (like plug, same voltage and Hertz). If the plug does not fit, buy an extension cord, then it fits.
Costs: The connection fee for the SIM-card is only about 600 SYP (about 10 €) comes to a monthly basic fee (including airtime) from about 1000 SYP (20USD). This is a huge price drop of about 1000usd connection fee in 2001 to 300 USD in early 2003.
3.0
The letter mail communication to and from Syria prepares much fun unless you have access to a mailbox.
3.1 mailbox
The German Embassy offers a deposit (1500 SYP) and a Mietbeteiligung (100 - 200 SYP) a mailbox for foreign students (your name, PO Box 844, Damascus). As there is no reliable mail carrier nor a generally accepted system of street addresses, this is the most reliable and fastest way to receive mail. Letters that were sent to my street address came not reliable. Outgoing letters are placed in the main post office near the Hejaz railway station.
2.3
DHL DHL maintains offices in the center behind the Semiramis Hotel (Victoria Jisr al) and in the City Mall Mezzeh.
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