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Utilities

Subscribing to all the required utilities

Before moving into your flat make sure if your flat is provided with gas, electricity, telephone and water supply. In case your flat had not been occupied for a certain period of time all these services might have been cut off. However as the reinstallation of the utilities is costly your landlord might have been cautious enough not to cut off their supply.

In terms of electricity and gas supply there is state monopoly. You do not have to choose between the variety of providers.

Polish telephone system

Polish telephone market is deregulated. Despite this fact the main provider which still holds the bulk of the market is Telekomunikacja Polska S.A. (Polish telecom) another supplier Netia is available only locally, especially in big cities. If you are within the reach of Netia and your phone had been installed by Telekomunikacja you may consider changing the operator.

Since 1 July 2001 Polish long-distance calls national market had been deregulated. There several operators available. They can be picked by dialing the prefix of the particular operator between 0 and the area code. For example when calling form Warsaw to Cracow through Telekomunikacja one should pick the numbers in the following order: 0 1033 12 xxxxx – where 1033 stands for the operator, 12 – code for Cracow and xxxxx –number of the relevant subscriber in Cracow. When picking a number from a mobile phone you do not have to stick to the above pattern.

Mobile phones

There are three companies offering mobile phone services in Poland:

All of them have their agents in supermarkets as well as in the city centres.

Internet

In Poland there are many companies providing internet services – so called Internet Service Providers (IPS). The most common and most popular way of getting online from at home all over Poland via modem is to log on to the server of Polish Telecom. Number: 0 20 21 22.

There are of course other Internet Providers available but only locally

Television

In Poland, if your home is not cabled you can only receive 5 national channels: TVP1, TVP2, Polsat, TVPolonia, and one local programme.

You can always phone the company that provides cable TV to your home in order to extend your package of programmes. In order to have access to the full package available on the market you would have to spend about 45 PLN. Sometimes at additional fees it is possible to obtain a permanent Internet connection with unlimited time quota via your cable TV provider.

Installing your own satellite dish may require you to involve in a series of procedures necessary to obtain relevant authorisations. The first to be informed about your decision to get you own satellite dish is of course your landlord.

Here is a brief description of Polish channels:

TVP1 – First Programme of Polish Television – a state owned public company. Most important Polish channel providing regular news, publicity, documentaries, interviews, statements of national authorities as well as movies.

TVP2 – ‘2’ – Second Programme of Polish Television which by definition is said to provide a slightly more ambitious programmes and movies than TVP2

Polsat – private broadcasting station offering TV series, soap operas, programmes, competitions as well as news.

TVPolonia – programme aimed mostly at Polish emigrants scattered all over the globe (so called Polonia); provides a good choice of Polish films some of which have English subtitles.

Pay TV:

TNV – commercial network with exclusive copyrights for Polish BIG BROTHER and Billionaires.

NOTE: Polish law requires every TV set owner to pay and annual subscription. The payments should be made at your local post office.