Cell Phones:
Your cell phone from the U.S. will work in Panama.  However, you will be charged your local provider’s roaming rate, which can run into a very high bill! We advise that you get either a local SIM card to insert into your cell phone, or pick up a pre-paid phone when you arrive in Panama.

Cell phone service, as with most technology, is good in Panama. 

Telephone:
A widespread system for land-line telephones is in place in Panama.  As a foreigner, you can have a telephone line put into your place of residence.  You will pay a higher installation fee than a Panamanian, and it will take about one week for the installer to arrive, but the fees are not exorbitant.

Obtaining a phone line and to open an account in Panama costs around $50 for Panamanian citizens and $100 for non-citizens. 

Prepaid telephone cards are available throughout Panama and make telephoning outside the country very economical.

Pay phones are still present on the streets in Panama, and the coins used are the Balboa.  BUT, the good news is that the Balboa coinage is the same size as the U.S. coins, so they are interchangeable.

Mail Service:
There are very few street-side mailboxes in Panama, nor is there door-to-door mail delivery in Panama.  You will need to obtain a post office box to receive paper mail.  These boxes are in demand so getting one may be a chore if you apply at the post office. There are private mail box services offering mail boxes and mail forwarding. 

It might be wise to get a mail forwarding service with an address in Miami and have all your paper mail shipped from there to your location in Panama.  Delivery is faster, and allows you to continue to receive your magazine subscriptions, catalogues, and newspapers, not to mention your packages that result from midnight excursions on HSN or QVC!

Internet and Cable:
The internet is in use throughout the country and is totally privatized.  Many companies offer packages and it’s best to shop for the one that fits your geographical area. 

Internet cafes are also widespread, and usage is very inexpensive.