Telephones There are many different phone companies which provide land line service inside your home or apartment. Often phone companies offer packages (bundles of phone service, wireless service, cable TV service, etc.) for lower prices than you would pay if you signed up for each service separately. Be very careful, though, when entering into such agreements, as most “good deals” require a year or longer commitment. A phone company will charge an initial installation fee (about $60.00), and there will also be monthly fees (depending upon services, they can be $20-$50). For general plans, you will not be charged for local calls you make from your home, but you will usually be charged for “long distance” calls. Please note: Long distance often means outside the greater Portland area! As cell phones become more popular, there are fewer and fewer public phones, but those that do exist are mostly still coin-operated rather than card-operated. Phones can be found in public places and a local call is usually $0.50 and you can talk for an unlimited period of time. The phone company publishes telephone books for every town. Most people who receive telephone services are listed alphabetically in the telephone books. If you would prefer to not be listed, you need to tell the phone company this when you sign up for service. Local information or directory assistance can be obtained by dialing 411. Check the front of the phone book for area codes and tips on how to find long-distance numbers. There is a charge for 411 calls. Please note: Oregon uses a system of 10-digits. In the Portland area, you must dial the area code (503) or (971) before dialing the phone number. All calls with the area code (541) are considered long distance.
Cell Phones There are various cell phone providers in the area whose plans and prices vary. Provides include Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and Virgin Mobile. The best way to find what you are looking for is to go into a store and see what they have to offer. Remember to shop around before you decide on a particular provider. Please note: Prepaid services are not as common in the U.S. as they are in other countries.
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