There are public telephone boxes in most towns in Malaysia; local calls cost 10 sen for an unlimited amount of time. For long-distance calls, it makes sense to use a card phone , either the ubiquitous Uniphone (yellow), the green Cityphone, or the widespread government Kadfon (blue). Cards of RM5, RM10, RM20 and RM50 are sold at Shell and Petronas stations, newsagents and most 7-Elevens. Note that the Uniphone only takes RM20 or RM50 cards. Check for an international logo on the phone booth before dialling overseas. To call abroad from Malaysia, dial 007 + IDD country code + area code minus first 0 + subscriber number.

You can also use your BT or AT&T chargecard in Malaysia. Collect (reverse charge) calls can be made from hotels or from a Telekom office (open office hours), though these are found only in larger towns. In KL, Penang and Kota Kinabalu there are also Home Country Direct phones - press the appropriate button and you'll be connected with your home operator, who can either arrange a collect call or debit you. Many businesses in Malaysia have mobile phone numbers; they are prefixed 011 or 010 and are expensive to call.

Internet cafes are plentiful and often found in smaller places, as well as major towns. Many hostels and guesthouses also provide internet access, as do top-of-the-range hotels. Prices are very competitive, ranging between RM3 and RM10 per hour. Connections are invariably excellent.