Lesotho:18 years of age; universal
Liberia:18 years of age; universal
Libya:18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Liechtenstein:20 years of age; universal
Lithuania:18 years of age; universal
Luxembourg:18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Macau:direct election 18 years of age, universal for permanentresidents living in Macau for the past seven years; indirectelection limited to organizations registered as "corporate voters"(257 are currently registered) and a 300-member Election Committeedrawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, andcentral government bodies
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of: 18 years of age; universal
Madagascar:18 years of age; universal
Malawi:18 years of age; universal
Malaysia:21 years of age; universal
Maldives:21 years of age; universal
Mali:21 years of age; universal
Malta:18 years of age; universal
Man, Isle of:18 years of age; universal
Marshall Islands:18 years of age; universal
Martinique:18 years of age; universal
Mauritania:18 years of age; universal
Mauritius:18 years of age; universal
Mayotte:18 years of age; universal
Mexico:18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced)
Micronesia, Federated States of:18 years of age; universal
Moldova:18 years of age; universal
Monaco:21 years of age; universal
Mongolia:18 years of age; universal
Montserrat:18 years of age; universal
Morocco:21 years of age; universal
Mozambique:18 years of age; universal
Namibia:18 years of age; universal
Nauru:20 years of age; universal and compulsory
Nepal:18 years of age; universal
Netherlands:18 years of age; universal
Netherlands Antilles:18 years of age; universal
New Caledonia:18 years of age; universal
New Zealand:18 years of age; universal
Nicaragua:16 years of age; universal
Niger:18 years of age; universal
Nigeria:18 years of age; universal
Niue:18 years of age; universal
Norfolk Island:18 years of age; universal
Northern Mariana Islands: 18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Norway:18 years of age; universal
Oman:in Oman's most recent elections in 2000, limited toapproximately 175,000 Omanis chosen by the government to vote inelections for the Majlis ash-Shura
Pakistan:21 years of age; universal; separate electorates andreserved parliamentary seats for non-Muslims
Palau:18 years of age; universal
Panama:18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Papua New Guinea:18 years of age; universal
Paraguay:18 years of age; universal and compulsory up to age 75
Peru:18 years of age; universal
Philippines:18 years of age; universal
Pitcairn Islands: 18 years of age; universal with three years residency
Poland:18 years of age; universal
Portugal:18 years of age; universal
Puerto Rico:18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants areUS citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Qatar:suffrage is limited to municipal elections
Reunion:18 years of age; universal
Romania:18 years of age; universal
Russia:18 years of age; universal
Rwanda:18 years of age; universal adult
Saint Helena:NA years of age
Saint Kitts and Nevis:18 years of age; universal
Saint Lucia:18 years of age; universal
Saint Pierre and Miquelon:18 years of age; universal
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines:18 years of age; universal
Samoa:21 years of age; universal
San Marino:18 years of age; universal
Sao Tome and Principe:18 years of age; universal
Saudi Arabia:none
Senegal:18 years of age; universal
Seychelles:17 years of age; universal
Sierra Leone:18 years of age; universal
Singapore:21 years of age; universal and compulsory
Slovakia:18 years of age; universal
Slovenia:18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)
Solomon Islands:21 years of age; universal
Somalia:18 years of age; universal
South Africa:18 years of age; universal
Spain:18 years of age; universal
Sri Lanka:18 years of age; universal
Sudan:17 years of age; universal, but noncompulsory
Suriname:18 years of age; universal
Swaziland:18 years of age
Sweden:18 years of age; universal
Switzerland:18 years of age; universal
Syria:18 years of age; universal
Tajikistan:18 years of age; universal
Tanzania:18 years of age; universal
Thailand:18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Togo:NA years of age; universal adult
Tokelau:21 years of age; universal
Tonga:21 years of age; universal
Trinidad and Tobago:18 years of age; universal
Tunisia:20 years of age; universal
Turkey:18 years of age; universal
Turkmenistan:18 years of age; universal
Turks and Caicos Islands:18 years of age; universal
Tuvalu:18 years of age; universal
Uganda:18 years of age; universal
Ukraine:18 years of age; universal
United Arab Emirates:none
United Kingdom:18 years of age; universal
United States:18 years of age; universal
Uruguay:18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Uzbekistan:18 years of age; universal
Vanuatu:18 years of age; universal
Venezuela:18 years of age; universal
Vietnam:18 years of age; universal
Virgin Islands:18 years of age; universal; note - indigenousinhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidentialelections
Wallis and Futuna:18 years of age; universal
Western Sahara:none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaignhas yet to be completed
Yemen:18 years of age; universal
Yugoslavia:16 years of age, if employed; 18 years of age, universal
Zambia:18 years of age; universal
Zimbabwe:18 years of age; universal
Taiwan:20 years of age; universal
======================================================================
@Telephone system
Afghanistan:general assessment: very limited telephone andtelegraph service
domestic: in 1997, telecommunications links were establishedbetween Mazar-e Sharif, Herat, Kandahar, Jalalabad, and Kabulthrough satellite and microwave systems
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)linked only to Iran and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region);commercial satellite telephone center in Ghazni
Albania:general assessment: Albania has the poorest telephoneservice in Europe with fewer than two telephones per 100inhabitants; it is doubtful that every village has telephone service
domestic: obsolete wire system; no longer provides a telephone for every village; in 1992, following the fall of the communist government, peasants cut the wire to about 1,000 villages and used it to build fences
international: inadequate; international traffic carried by microwave radio relay from the Tirana exchange to Italy and Greece
Algeria:general assessment: telephone density in Algeria is verylow, not exceeding five telephones per 100 persons; the number offixed main lines has been increased in the last few years to alittle more than 2,000,000, but only about two-thirds of these havesubscribers; much of the infrastructure is outdated and inefficient
domestic: good service in north but sparse in south; domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations (20 additional domestic earth stations are planned)
international: 5 submarine cables; microwave radio relay to Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia; coaxial cable to Morocco and Tunisia; participant in Medarabtel; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik, and 1 Arabsat (1998)
American Samoa:general assessment: NA
domestic: good telex, telegraph, facsimile and cellular telephone services; domestic satellite system with 1 Comsat earth station
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Andorra:general assessment: NA
domestic: modern system with microwave radio relay connections between exchanges
international: landline circuits to France and Spain
Angola:general assessment: telephone service limited mostly togovernment and business use; HF radiotelephone used extensively formilitary links
domestic: limited system of wire, microwave radio relay, andtropospheric scatter
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean)
Anguilla:general assessment: NA
domestic: modern internal telephone system
international: microwave radio relay to island of Saint Martin(Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles)
Antarctica:general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: NA
Antigua and Barbuda: general assessment: NA
domestic: good automatic telephone system
international: 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Saba (Netherlands Antilles) and Guadeloupe
Argentina:general assessment: by opening the telecommunicationsmarket to competition and foreign investment with the"Telecommunications Liberalization Plan of 1998", Argentinaencouraged the growth of modern telecommunication technology;fiber-optic cable trunk lines are being installed between all majorcities; the major networks are entirely digital and the availabilityof telephone service is being improved; however, telephone densityis presently minimal, and making telephone service universallyavailable will take some time
domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber-optic cable, and a domestic satellite system with 40 earth stations serve the trunk network; more than 110,000 pay telephones are installed and mobile telephone use is rapidly expanding
international: satellite earth stations - 8 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean); Atlantis II and Unisur submarine cables; two internationalgateways near Buenos Aires (1999)
Armenia:general assessment: system inadequate; now 90% privatelyowned and undergoing modernization and expansion
domestic: the majority of subscribers and the most modern equipment are in Yerevan (this includes paging and mobile cellular service)
international: Yerevan is connected to the Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic cable through Iran; additional international service is available by microwave radio relay and landline connections to the other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States and through the Moscow international switch and by satellite to the rest of the world; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat
Aruba: general assessment: NA
domestic: more than adequate
international: 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten (NetherlandsAntilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay links
Australia:general assessment: excellent domestic and internationalservice
domestic: domestic satellite system; much use of radiotelephone inareas of low population density; rapid growth of mobile cellulartelephones
international: submarine cables to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean), 2 Inmarsat (Indian and Pacific Ocean regions) (1998)
Austria: general assessment: highly developed and efficient
domestic: there are 48 main lines for every 100 persons and the system is nearly 100% digital; the fiber optic net is very extensive; all telephone applications and Internet services are available
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 AtlanticOcean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 2 Eutelsat (1999)
Azerbaijan:general assessment: inadequate; requires considerableexpansion and modernization; teledensity of 8.6 main lines per 100persons is very low
domestic: the majority of telephones are in Baku and otherindustrial centers - about 700 villages still do not have publictelephone service; satellite service connects Baku to a modernswitch in its exclave of Naxcivan
international: the old Soviet system of cable and microwave is still serviceable; a satellite connection to Turkey enables Baku to reach about 200 additional countries, some of which are directly connected to Baku by satellite providers other than Turkey (1997)
Bahamas, The: general assessment: modern facilities
domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed
international: tropospheric scatter and submarine cable to Florida; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (1997)
Bahrain:general assessment: modern system
domestic: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones
international: tropospheric scatter to Qatar and UAE; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; submarine cable to Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat (1997)
Bangladesh:general assessment: totally inadequate for a moderncountry
domestic: modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systemsinclude VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and somefiber-optic cable in cities
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (IndianOcean); international radiotelephone communications and landlineservice to neighboring countries (2000)
Barbados:general assessment: NA
domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system
international: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia
Belarus:general assessment: the Ministry of Telecommunicationscontrols all telecommunications through its carrier (a joint stockcompany) Beltelcom which is a monopoly
domestic: local - Minsk has a digital metropolitan network and a cellular NMT-450 network; waiting lists for telephones are long; local service outside Minsk is neglected and poor; intercity - Belarus has a partly developed fiber-optic backbone system presently serving at least 13 major cities (1998); Belarus's fiber optics form synchronous digital hierarchy rings through other countries' systems; an inadequate analog system remains operational
international: Belarus is a member of the Trans-European Line (TEL), Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line, and has access to the Trans-Siberia Line (TSL); three fiber-optic segments provide connectivity to Latvia, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine; worldwide service is available to Belarus through this infrastructure; additional analog lines to Russia; Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik earth stations
Belgium:general assessment: highly developed, technologicallyadvanced, and completely automated domestic and internationaltelephone and telegraph facilities
domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; extensive cablenetwork; limited microwave radio relay network
international: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Eutelsat
Belize:general assessment: above-average system
domestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Benin:general assessment: NA
domestic: fair system of open wire, microwave radio relay, andcellular connections
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean); submarine cable
Bermuda:general assessment: NA
domestic: modern, fully automatic telephone system
international: 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Bhutan:general assessment: NA
domestic: domestic telephone service is very poor with fewtelephones in use
international: international telephone and telegraph service is bylandline through India; a satellite earth station was planned (1990)
Bolivia:general assessment: new subscribers face bureaucraticdifficulties; most telephones are concentrated in La Paz and othercities; mobile cellular telephone use expanding rapidly
domestic: primary trunk system, which is being expanded, employs digital microwave radio relay; some areas are served by fiber-optic cable; mobile cellular systems are being expanded
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Bosnia and Herzegovina:general assessment: telephone and telegraphnetwork is in need of modernization and expansion; many urban areasare below average when compared with services in other formerYugoslav republics
domestic: NA
international: no satellite earth stations
Botswana:general assessment: sparse system
domestic: small system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and a few radiotelephone communication stations
international: two international exchanges; digital microwave radio relay links to Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Brazil:general assessment: good working system
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay system and a domestic satellite system with 64 earth stations
international: 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region east), connected by microwave relay system to MERCOSUR Brazilsat B3 satellite earth station
British Indian Ocean Territory: general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available
domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet
international: international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)
British Virgin Islands: general assessment: worldwide telephone service
domestic: NA
international: submarine cable to Bermuda
Brunei:general assessment: service throughout country isexcellent; international service good to Europe, US, and East Asia
domestic: every service available
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean); digital submarine cable links to Malaysia, Singapore, and Philippines (2001)
Bulgaria: general assessment: extensive but antiquated
domestic: more than two-thirds of the lines are residential; telephone service is available in most villages; a fairly modern digital cable trunk line now connects switching centers in most of the regions, the others are connected by digital microwave radio relay
international: direct dialing to 58 countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 2 Intelsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions)
Burkina Faso:general assessment: all services only fair
domestic: microwave radio relay, open wire, and radiotelephone communication stations
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Burma:general assessment: meets minimum requirements for local andintercity service for business and government; international serviceis good
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Burundi:general assessment: primitive system
domestic: sparse system of open wire, radiotelephone communications, and low-capacity microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Cambodia:general assessment: adequate landline and/or cellularservice in Phnom Penh and other provincial cities; rural areas havelittle telephone service
domestic: NA
international: adequate but expensive landline and cellular service available to all countries from Phnom Penh and major provincial cities; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region)
Cameroon:general assessment: available only to business andgovernment
domestic: cable, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean)
Canada:general assessment: excellent service provided by moderntechnology
domestic: domestic satellite system with about 300 earth stations
international: 5 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) and 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)
Cape Verde: general assessment: effective system, being improved
domestic: interisland microwave radio relay system with both analog and digital exchanges; work is in progress on a submarine fiber-optic cable system which was scheduled for completion in 1998
international: 2 coaxial submarine cables; HF radiotelephone toSenegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat(Atlantic Ocean)
Cayman Islands:general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: 1 submarine coaxial cable; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Central African Republic:general assessment: fair system
domestic: network consists principally of microwave radio relay andlow-capacity, low-powered radiotelephone communication
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Chad: general assessment: primitive system
domestic: fair system of radiotelephone communication stations
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Chile:general assessment: modern system based on extensivemicrowave radio relay facilities
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay links; domestic satellitesystem with 3 earth stations
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean)
China:general assessment: domestic and international services areincreasingly available for private use; unevenly distributeddomestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, andmany towns
domestic: interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular telephone systems have been installed; a domestic satellite system with 55 earth stations is in place
international: satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); several international fiber-optic links to Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Russia, and Germany (2000)
Christmas Island: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth stations - one Intelsat earth station provides telephone and telex service
Cocos (Keeling) Islands:general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: telephone, telex, and facsimile communications with Australia and elsewhere via satellite; 1 satellite earth station of NA type
Colombia: general assessment: modern system in many respects
domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system; domestic satellite system with 41 earth stations; fiber-optic network linking 50 cities
international: satellite earth stations - 6 Intelsat, 1 Inmarsat; 3 fully digitalized international switching centers; 8 submarine cables
Comoros:general assessment: sparse system of microwave radio relayand HF radiotelephone communication stations
domestic: HF radiotelephone communications and microwave radio relay
international: HF radiotelephone communications to Madagascar andReunion
Congo, Democratic Republic of the:general assessment: NA
domestic: barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Congo, Republic of the: general assessment: services barely adequate for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo; intercity lines frequently out-of-order
domestic: primary network consists of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Cook Islands: general assessment: NA
domestic: the individual islands are connected by a combination of satellite earth stations, microwave systems, and VHF and HF radiotelephone; within the islands, service is provided by small exchanges connected to subscribers by open wire, cable, and fiber-optic cable
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Costa Rica: general assessment: very good domestic telephone service
domestic: point-to-point and point-to-multi-point microwave, fiber-optic, and coaxial cable link rural areas; Internet service is available
international: connected to Central American Microwave System;satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); twosubmarine cables (1999)
Cote d'Ivoire:general assessment: well developed by Africanstandards but operating well below capacity
domestic: open-wire lines and microwave radio relay; 90% digitalized
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 AtlanticOcean and 1 Indian Ocean); 2 coaxial submarine cables (June 1999)
Croatia:general assessment: NA
domestic: reconstruction plan calls for replacement of all analog circuits with digital and enlarging the network; a backup will be included in the plan for the main trunk
international: digital international service is provided through the main switch in Zagreb; Croatia participates in the Trans-Asia-Europe (TEL) fiber-optic project which consists of two fiber-optic trunk connections with Slovenia and a fiber-optic trunk line from Rijeka to Split and Dubrovnik; Croatia is also investing in ADRIA 1, a joint fiber-optic project with Germany, Albania, and Greece (2000)
Cuba: general assessment: NA
domestic: principal trunk system, end to end of country, is coaxial cable; fiber-optic distribution in Havana and on Isla de la Juventud; 2 microwave radio relay installations (one is old, US-built; the other newer, Soviet-built); both analog and digital mobile cellular service established
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (AtlanticOcean region)
Cyprus:general assessment: excellent in both the Greek Cypriot andTurkish Cypriot areas
domestic: open wire, fiber-optic cable, and microwave radio relay
international: tropospheric scatter; 3 coaxial and 5 fiber-optic submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 2 Eutelsat, 2 Intersputnik, and 1 Arabsat
Czech Republic:general assessment: privatization and modernizationof the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but isadvancing steadily; growth in the use of mobile cellular telephonesis particularly vigorous
domestic: 86% of exchanges now digital; existing copper subscriber systems now being enhanced with Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) equipment to accommodate Internet and other digital signals; trunk systems include fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Atlanticand Indian Ocean regions), 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1Globalstar
Denmark:general assessment: excellent telephone and telegraphservices
domestic: buried and submarine cables and microwave radio relay form trunk network, 4 cellular mobile communications systems
international: 18 submarine fiber-optic cables linking Denmark with Norway, Sweden, Russia, Poland, Germany, Netherlands, UK, Faroe Islands, Iceland, and Canada; satellite earth stations - 6 Intelsat, 10 Eutelsat, 1 Orion, 1 Inmarsat (Blaavand-Atlantic-East); note - the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) share the Danish earth station and the Eik, Norway, station for worldwide Inmarsat access (1997)
Djibouti:general assessment: telephone facilities in the city ofDjibouti are adequate as are the microwave radio relay connectionsto outlying areas of the country
domestic: microwave radio relay network
international: submarine cable to Jiddah, Suez, Sicily, Marseilles, Colombo, and Singapore; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; Medarabtel regional microwave radio relay telephone network
Dominica: general assessment: NA
domestic: fully automatic network
international: microwave radio relay and SHF radiotelephone links to Martinique and Guadeloupe; VHF and UHF radiotelephone links to Saint Lucia
Dominican Republic:general assessment: NA
domestic: relatively efficient system based on islandwide microwaveradio relay network
international: 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station -1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Ecuador:general assessment: NA
domestic: facilities generally inadequate and unreliable
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Egypt:general assessment: large system; underwent extensiveupgrading during 1990s and is reasonably modern; Internet access andcellular service are available
domestic: principal centers at Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah, Ismailia, Suez, and Tanta are connected by coaxial cable and microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat; 5 coaxial submarine cables; tropospheric scatter to Sudan; microwave radio relay to Israel; a participant in Medarabtel and a signatory to Project Oxygen (a global submarine fiber-optic cable system)
El Salvador: general assessment: NA
domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave System
Equatorial Guinea: general assessment: poor system with adequate government services
domestic: NA
international: international communications from Bata and Malabo to African and European countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Eritrea:general assessment: NA
domestic: very inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara; government is seeking international tenders to improve the system
international: NA
Estonia:general assessment: foreign investment in the form ofjoint business ventures greatly improved telephone service; Internetservices available throughout most of the country; about 150,000unfilled subscriber requests
domestic: local - the Ministry of Transport and Communications is expanding cellular telephone services to form rural networks; intercity - highly developed fiber-optic backbone (double loop) system presently serving at least 16 major cities (1998)
international: fiber-optic cables to Finland, Sweden, Latvia, andRussia provide worldwide packet-switched service; two internationalswitches are located in Tallinn
Ethiopia:general assessment: open wire and microwave radio relaysystem adequate for government use
domestic: open wire; microwave radio relay; radio communication inthe HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; two domestic satellites providethe national trunk service
international: open wire to Sudan and Djibouti; microwave radiorelay to Kenya and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat(1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean)
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas):general assessment: NA
domestic: government-operated radiotelephone and private VHF/CB radiotelephone networks provide effective service to almost all points on both islands
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) with links through London to other countries
Faroe Islands: general assessment: good international communications; good domestic facilities
domestic: digitalization was completed in 1998; both NMT (analog) and GSM (digital) mobile telephone systems are installed
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Orion; 1 fiber-optic submarine cable to the Shetland Islands, linking the Faroe Islands with Denmark and Iceland; fiber-optic submarine cable connection to Canada-Europe cable
Fiji:general assessment: modern local, interisland, andinternational (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purposetelephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radiocommunications center
domestic: NA
international: access to important cable links between US and Canada as well as between NZ and Australia; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Finland:general assessment: modern system with excellent service
domestic: cable, microwave radio relay, and an extensive cellular net provide domestic needs
international: 1 submarine cable; satellite earth stations - access to Intelsat transmission service via a Swedish satellite earth station, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Finland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden)
France:general assessment: highly developed
domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay; extensive introduction of fiber-optic cable; domestic satellite system
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (with total of 5 antennas - 2 for Indian Ocean and 3 for Atlantic Ocean), NA Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region); HF radiotelephone communications with more than 20 countries
French Guiana: general assessment: NA
domestic: fair open wire and microwave radio relay system
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
French Polynesia: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Gabon: general assessment: NA
domestic: adequate system of cable, microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, radiotelephone communication stations, and a domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean)
Gambia, The:general assessment: adequate; a packet switched datanetwork is available
domestic: adequate network of microwave radio relay and open wire
international: microwave radio relay links to Senegal andGuinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Gaza Strip:general assessment: NA
domestic: rudimentary telephone services provided by an open wiresystem
international: NA
Georgia: general assessment: NA
domestic: local - T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi have cellular telephone networks; urban telephone density is about 20 per 100 people; rural telephone density is about 4 per 100 people; intercity facilities include a fiber-optic line between T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi; nationwide pager service is available
international: Georgia and Russia are working on a fiber-optic line between P'ot'i and Sochi (Russia); present international service is available by microwave, landline, and satellite through the Moscow switch; international electronic mail and telex service are available
Germany:general assessment: Germany has one of the world's mosttechnologically advanced telecommunications systems; as a result ofintensive capital expenditures since reunification, the formerlybackward system of the eastern part of the country has beenmodernized and integrated with that of the western part
domestic: Germany is served by an extensive system of automatic telephone exchanges connected by modern networks of fiber-optic cable, coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, and a domestic satellite system; cellular telephone service is widely available and includes roaming service to many foreign countries
international: satellite earth stations - 14 Intelsat (12 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), 2 Intersputnik (1 Atlantic Ocean region and 1 Indian Ocean region); 7 submarine cable connections; 2 HF radiotelephone communication centers; tropospheric scatter links
Ghana:general assessment: poor to fair system; Internetaccessible; many rural communities not yet connected; expansion ofservices is underway
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay; wireless local loop has been installed
international: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean); microwave radio relay link to Panaftel system connects Ghanato its neighbors
Gibraltar:general assessment: adequate, automatic domestic systemand adequate international facilities
domestic: automatic exchange facilities
international: radiotelephone; microwave radio relay; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Greece:general assessment: adequate, modern networks reach allareas; good mobile telephone and international service
domestic: microwave radio relay trunk system; extensive open wire connections; submarine cable to offshore islands
international: tropospheric scatter; 8 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region)
Greenland:general assessment: adequate domestic and internationalservice provided by satellite, cables and microwave radio relay;totally digitalized in 1995
domestic: microwave radio relay and satellite
international: satellite earth stations - 12 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 2 Americom GE-2 (all Atlantic Ocean)
Grenada:general assessment: automatic, islandwide telephone system
domestic: interisland VHF and UHF radiotelephone links
international: new SHF radiotelephone links to Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Vincent; VHF and UHF radio links to Trinidad
Guadeloupe:general assessment: domestic facilities inadequate
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean); microwave radio relay to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, andMartinique
Guam:general assessment: modern system, integrated with USfacilities for direct dialing, including free use of 800 numbers
domestic: modern digital system, including cellular mobile service and local access to the Internet
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); submarine cables to US and Japan (Guam is a trans-Pacific communications hub for MCI, Sprint, AT&T, IT&E, and GTE, linking the US and Asia)
Guatemala:general assessment: fairly modern network centered inthe city of Guatemala
domestic: NA
international: connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Guernsey:general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: 1 submarine cable
Guinea:general assessment: poor to fair system of open-wire lines,small radiotelephone communication stations, and new microwave radiorelay system
domestic: microwave radio relay and radiotelephone communication
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Guinea-Bissau:general assessment: small system
domestic: combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines, radiotelephone, and cellular communications
international: NA
Guyana: general assessment: fair system for long-distance calling
domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines
international: tropospheric scatter to Trinidad; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Haiti:general assessment: domestic facilities barely adequate;international facilities slightly better
domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay trunk service
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Holy See (Vatican City): general assessment: automatic exchange
domestic: tied into Italian system
international: uses Italian system
Honduras: general assessment: inadequate system
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean); connected to Central American Microwave System
Hong Kong:general assessment: modern facilities provide excellentdomestic and international services
domestic: microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-optic network
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); coaxial cable to Guangzhou, China; access to 5 international submarine cables providing connections to ASEAN member nations, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe
Hungary:general assessment: the telephone system has beenmodernized and is capable of satisfying all requests fortelecommunication service
domestic: the system is digitalized and highly automated; trunk services are carried by fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay; a program for fiber-optic subscriber connections was initiated in 1996; heavy use is made of mobile cellular telephones
international: Hungary has fiber-optic cable connections with all neighboring countries; the international switch is in Budapest; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Inmarsat, 1 very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system of ground terminals
Iceland:general assessment: adequate domestic service
domestic: the trunk network consists of coaxial and fiber-optic cables and microwave radio relay links
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Iceland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden)
India:general assessment: mediocre service; local and longdistance service provided throughout all regions of the country,with services primarily concentrated in the urban areas; majorobjective is to continue to expand and modernize long-distancenetwork in order to keep pace with rapidly growing number of localsubscriber lines; steady improvement is taking place with the recentadmission of private and private-public investors, but, withtelephone density at about two for each 100 persons and a waitinglist of over 2 million, demand for main line telephone service willnot be satisfied for a very long time
domestic: local service is provided by microwave radio relay and coaxial cable, with open wire and obsolete electromechanical and manual switchboard systems still in use in rural areas; starting in the 1980s, a substantial amount of digital switch gear has been introduced for local and long-distance service; long-distance traffic is carried mostly by coaxial cable and low-capacity microwave radio relay; since 1985 significant trunk capacity has been added in the form of fiber-optic cable and a domestic satellite system with 254 earth stations; mobile cellular service is provided in four metropolitan cities
international: satellite earth stations - 8 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region); nine gateway exchanges operating from Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi, Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai (Madras), Jalandhar, Kanpur, Gaidhinagar, Hyderabad, and Ernakulam; 4 submarine cables - LOCOM linking Chennai (Madras) to Penang; Indo-UAE-Gulf cable linking Mumbai (Bombay) to Al Fujayrah, UAE; India-SEA-ME-WE-3, SEA-ME-WE-2 with landing sites at Cochin and Mumbai (Bombay); Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) with landing site at Mumbai (Bombay) (2000)
Indonesia:general assessment: domestic service fair, internationalservice good
domestic: interisland microwave system and HF radio police net;domestic satellite communications system
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 IndianOcean and 1 Pacific Ocean)
Iran:general assessment: inadequate but currently being modernizedand expanded with the goal of not only improving the efficiency andincreasing the volume of the urban service but also bringingtelephone service to several thousand villages, not presentlyconnected
domestic: as a result of heavy investing in the telephone system since 1994, the number of long-distance channels in the microwave radio relay trunk has grown substantially; many villages have been brought into the net; the number of main lines in the urban systems has approximately doubled; and thousands of mobile cellular subscribers are being served; moreover, the technical level of the system has been raised by the installation of thousands of digital switches
international: HF radio and microwave radio relay to Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Syria, Kuwait, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; submarine fiber-optic cable to UAE with access to Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line runs from Azerbaijan through the northern portion of Iran to Turkmenistan with expansion to Georgia and Azerbaijan; satellite earth stations - 9 Intelsat and 4 Inmarsat; Internet service available but limited to electronic mail to promote Iranian culture
Iraq:general assessment: reconstitution of damagedtelecommunication facilities began after the Gulf war; most damagedfacilities have been rebuilt
domestic: the network consists of coaxial cables and microwave radio relay links
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Arabsat (inoperative); coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey; Kuwait line is probably nonoperational
Ireland:general assessment: modern digital system using cable andmicrowave radio relay
domestic: microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Israel:general assessment: most highly developed system in theMiddle East although not the largest
domestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay;all systems are digital
international: 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Italy:general assessment: modern, well developed, fast; fullyautomated telephone, telex, and data services
domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (with a total of 5 antennas - 3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2 for Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and NA Eutelsat; 21 submarine cables
Jamaica:general assessment: fully automatic domestic telephonenetwork
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean); 3 coaxial submarine cables
Japan:general assessment: excellent domestic and internationalservice