Mobile phone connections on Barbados are supplied by Cable and Wireless and it is possible to rent mobiles on the island. This is often a good idea for expats when they arrive as not all phones will work on the island. It may be possible that an English mobile will work in Barbados but it is sensible to check with your supplier before leaving the country. Another solution is to buy a sim card which you can use while on the island saving the expense of having to buy a new phone.

Fixed line telephones are widely available and there are call boxes that use either cash or cards and there are plenty of them around the towns.

Post offices are open at various times but usually between 9 am and 12 noon and 1 pm and 3 pm from Monday to Friday. There are post offices and boxes all over the island and mail takes about 10 days for post to get to Europe. Post can be delivered to your home although it is also possible to have a post office box if you do not have a permanent address. There is a charge for this but it is worth it to keep your mail safe.

Barbados press has freedom of speech and the island’s newspapers are privately owned. The main daily papers are the Barbados Advocate and The Nation but others are The Caribbean Week and the Broad Street Journal which is a business paper. There are American newspapers available and some British newspapers may be available in the capital, although they may be one or two days old.

Television is provided by the government owned Caribbean Broadcasting Company (CBC) which operates CBC TV. Cable TV is provided by Multi Choice TV which has a wide selection of programmes from all over the world at about the same price as most cable channels, as well as a Pay Per View option for special events and sports programmes.

There are several radio stations including one run by the government, as well as a religious station and several commercial stations. Radio stations have news and educational programmes as well as Caribbean music such as reggae and calypso. Some specialist channels have religious programmes and more mainstream music.

Internet facilities are provided by Cable and Wireless and both broadband and Wi-Fi are available although Wi-Fi is more common in hotels at the moment. Internet usage in Barbados went from 2.6% in 2000 to 59.8% in 2006. There are a number of internet cafes which charge reasonable rates and offer a fast connection.