Telephoning  

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Some useful numbers to know are: 

Information - 118 118 

Customer service - 90 200 

Collect calls - 0018 

Time - 90 510 

Calls outside of Scandinavia with operator assistance - 0018 

Calls within Sweden with operator assistance - 90 130

There are two main telephone books (telekatalogen) in Göteborg. The White Pages (vita sidorna) lists telephone numbers for private residences. (To search the white pages online, go to http://privatpersoner.eniro.se/)  The Yellow Pages (gulasidorna) and Pink Pages (rosa sidorna) catalog is divided into various color-coded sections:

• Orange pages - Hitta rätt i katalogen – how to find your way around the telephone book

• Crimson pages - Teletjänster – describes the various telephone services available

• Green pages - Samhällsinformation - communal information about the various county authorities and operations

• Blue pages - Hälso- och sjukvård – information about health, medical and dental care in the region

• Pink pages - Rosa sidorna - alphabetical listing of businesses, organizations, authorities etc. by NAME

• Yellow pages - Gula sidorna - alphabetical listing of businesses, organizations, authorities etc. by CATEGORY

• Red pages - Kartsidorna - maps of the city and surrounding larger town, including a street register and zip codes

Telephone books for other areas of Sweden are available for reference at the main library (Stadsbiblioteket) at Götaplatsen.

Note that words beginning with the Swedish letters Å Ä Ö are found after the letter Z in the phonebook. Also, such names as Petterson and Peterson, though the spelling is different, will follow one another in the listings as if they are spelled the same. This is also true for names beginning with V or W.

In general, it is socially acceptable to phone individuals or families in Sweden between 9:00 and 21:00. Most businesses open at 9:00 or 9:30 and close at 17:00 or 17:30. Most businesses have special telephone hours (telefontider); they cannot be reached at any other time by phone than during their set telephone hours.

Household telephone service in Sweden are handled by the state-run Telecommunications Administration (Telia). Tele2 is among other companies who provide alternatives to Telia's long distance rates, and it's worth comparing costs when deciding which international calling service to use.

Since almost everyone in Sweden uses mobile telephones, public telephone usage is much lesson common than what you’re probably used to. Coin-operated public telephones are located only at the airport and train station. All other public telephones are operated by a telephone card (telefonkort) which can be purchased at Pressbyrån or any store displaying the Telefonkort sign. They are available in three denominations: 120, 60 and 30 crowns. Card-operated public telephones also accept American Express, Diner's Club, Eurocard, Mastercard, Visa, Shell, Statoil and Norsk Hydro account cards.

Mobile telephones

Nearly everyone in Sweden from teenage and older owns a mobile telephone.  Nokia and Ericsson are the most common brands. You can choose to have either a pre-paid phone card or a subscription with companies such as Tele2, Comviq or Vodofone. Unlike most American mobile systems, you are not charged for incoming phone calls, only your outgoing.  Mobile telephones are also frequently used to send SMS text messages to other mobile users.

(WEBWOMAN'S NOTE: The information contained on this page may need to be updated. Please send an e-mail to 

with any updates, corrections and/or additional information.)