220 volts AC, 50Hz. Round 2-pin continental plugs are standard. All international calls from Kyrgyzstan have to go through the operator. Direct-dial calls within the CIS are obtained by dialling 8 and waiting for another dial tone and then dialling the city code followed by the number. Services are available in main hotels for residents only.
Services are available from post offices in large towns.
Letters to and from Western Europe and the USA can take anything between two weeks and two months. Stamped envelopes can be bought from post offices. Visitors can also use post offices located within some major hotels. The Central Asian Post is published in English and Russian. There is also an English-language weekly, the Kyrgyzstan Chronicle.