Communication

Upon your arrival in Jeddah, you will most likely want to call home. To help with this matter, the school will provide you with a temporary phone and a prepaid SIM card (which many choose to take and insert into their existing phones). Your housing has Internet available as soon as you arrive. In order to issue a phone SIM card from any mobile service provider, you will need to present your Iqama (Saudi residence card). The Iqama issuing process could take anywhere from 1 - 4 weeks, or more, to complete from your arrival date.

There are three major mobile service providers in Jeddah - Saudi Telecom Company (STC), Mobily and Zain. Each provider offers different services so you may want to do some comparison-shopping before you choose a plan. The closest STC & Mobily offices to the Saudia City are both on Rawdah Street, just a few minutes drive from any Saudia City gate (best to find directions on Google Maps and be sure to call ahead for opening hours).

Zoom

Zoom is the official platform used by AISJ to hold virtual classes, meetings and webinars. Zoom is free to download onto your computer and/or phone, and if your family and friends back home do the same, Zoom to Zoom video calls are free.

Whatsapp

Whatsapp is heavily used by our faculty, both in and out of school. There are many Whatsapp groups used in order to remain in contact (i.e. Saudia City Group, SC Parents group, etc.). It will be a must to download this app on your phone. Strangely enough, however, Whatsapp audio and video calls do not work in Saudi.

Skype

Another popular option is Skype. The Skype system is free to download onto your computer, and if your family and friends back home do the same, Skype to Skype calls are free. You can also buy credit through Skype to call normal telephones and mobile phones at cheap rates. Skype also offers something called a Skype Number. This will give you a phone number that is local to whichever state/area you choose. Then, your family and friends can call that number and it will ring your Skype account. It allows you to call landlines and mobile numbers for no additional charge. For more information, visit the Skype website.

FaceTime

Facetime seems to be the clearest means of communication with video streaming capability for free. Facetime is a built in app that comes in with Apple products. In the past, Apple products purchased in Saudi Arabia did not have FaceTime. Recently, however, we have found FaceTime is installed on most Apple products sold here.

Phone Apps

There are other phone apps that are free to install and use to call outside, you might want to consider apps like Line, Vonage, Viber, Magic Jack, and Tango.

VPNs

There are very strict regulations and limitations on VPN in Saudi Arabia, which make it difficult for expats to set up VPN once they have arrived to the country. Although there are free VPN services that you can set up before arriving to Saudi, our recommendation is to invest in a paid VPN service in your home country. There are a couple of paid VPN providers that we recommend to check out such as Express VPN, Nord, witopia, and hidemyass. Purchasing a VPN service before arriving to Saudi Arabia will definitely help you access your favorite websites and applications from anywhere and anytime, such as Netflix or Pandora.