Utilities in Cyprus
Like most of Western Europe, there is mains electricity and water in all the towns in South Cyprus, and an excellent phone system. There is no mains gas, however. Most people use small bottles of gas, which can be exchanged outside most supermarkets, or delivered. others have larger bottles, which are filled up regularly during the winter by a gas provider. For more details about mains electricity or running water, see the pages on electricity in Cyprus and water in Cyprus.
Telephones and the Internet
Telephony is provided, for the most part, by the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority, CYTA (pronounced SEE-ta). The fixed charge is low, the tariffs some of the best in Europe. They provide a free phone directory and yellow pages annually for each town, available from the CYTA shop or (for a short period) from some supermarekts.
CYTA also provide Internet access, at reasonable cost, either dial-up or broadband, and we've found this mostly reliable. An alternative provider for Internet access is OTEnet.
Mobile phones are widely used, with contracts either from CYTA or MTN (formerly Areeba), starting as low as about €1 per month. An alternative is the pay-as-you-go system, with top-up cards that can be bought in several shops, from €5 upwards. Most of these have a limited roaming system that can be used elsewhere in Europe, and sometimes internationally (other than in the USA).
Paying utility bills
Phone bills are sent out monthly, electricity bills bi-monthly, and water bills quarterly. The phone companies are quite strict about payment being on time, but the others allow a bit of grace, although they will send out red reminder letters if you pay very late.
It's possible to set up direct debit payments from your bank to cover utility bills, although we have not found this to be entirely reliable, and there is a set-up fee for doing so. Many people still pay by cash or cheque at the local office of the utility providers. However a more efficient option for people who have online banking is to pay online using their bank's website.
Sewerage and drainage bills, which come annually, can be paid at a local Co-operative bank (for a small fee), or sometimes online at the jccsmart site.