Connecting to the internet, using phones and postal services in
Although internet speeds are not yet as fast as in other EU countries, in the last few years the internet infrastructure in Cyprus has improved drastically. More internet and telecom providers have entered the market, which means you now have more options whether you need wireless internet or a high-speed fibre connection. However, mobile internet connections can be a bit unreliable in rural areas.
Internet & mobile
Due to the many rural areas and mountains on the island, internet coverage can be spotty outside the big cities. For this reason, developing the internet infrastructure has been a priority in Cyprus in the last few years ' in fact, the government has announced a plan for speeds of at least 100Mbps and a 100% coverage of the island by 2020.
Although the telecom sector has expanded to include an increasing number of providers, the leading player in the Cypriot market remains state-owned Cyta (Cyprus Telecommunication Authority). Besides CYTA, the other major telecom providers in Cyprus are MTN, Cablenet, Primetel and CyTel.
As fast coverage is not 100% yet, you should carefully check the capabilities of your location before choosing your internet and mobile provider. See whether there is a line that can accommodation an ADSL broadband network already installed, as it will be much more expensive to install one from scratch. You should also check if wireless internet is available: although that's not a problem in the cities, you may find that rural areas lack in connectivity options. If your new home is more remotely located and outside Cyprus' bigger cities, you should perhaps consider mobile internet. You can choose between pay as you go models and subscription plans.
Given that there are still some limitations when it comes to connecting to the internet in Cyprus, you should make a realistic appraisal of the kind of internet usage you will be needing. If you are doing video calls (Skype or otherwise) and stream videos and movies online, you will need something either a wireless or an ADSL broadband connection. For even better results, you could opt for a business connection: it will be more expensive, but it will also have a lower contention ratio (the ratio that shows how much of the speed capacities of the area your specific connection is using ' when the ratio is too high, there are many connections competing and your speed can become lower as a result).
The postal service
Since Cyprus has many rural and mountainous areas where internet connectivity is not yet completely reliable, traditional mail is still heavily used in most cases. Cyprus Post, the country's official postal services offer mail and postage services in all of Cyprus, while they also provide financial services (such as money transfers), help with digital signage, collector stamps and stationery gifts.
Good to know:
If you need to send a letter, parcel or goods fast and safely, the EMS Datapost service by Cyprus Post can help you with that, as they have special dispatches in more than 128 countries.
Useful links:
