domestic: high level of modern technology and excellent service of every kind
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); submarine cables to China, Philippines, Russia, and US (via Guam) (1999)
Jersey: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: 3 submarine cables
Johnston Atoll:general assessment: 13 outgoing and 10 incomingcommercial lines; adequate telecommunications
domestic: 60-channel submarine cable, 22 DSN circuits by satellite, Autodin with standard remote terminal, digital telephone switch, Military Affiliated Radio System (MARS station), UHF/VHF air-ground radio, a link to the Pacific Consolidated Telecommunications Network (PCTN) satellite
international: NA
Jordan:general assessment: service has improved recently with theincreased use of digital switching equipment, but better access tothe telephone system is needed in the rural areas and easier accessto pay telephones is needed by the urban public
domestic: microwave radio relay transmission and coaxial and fiber-optic cable are employed on trunk lines; considerable use is made of mobile cellular systems; Internet service is available
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat, 1 Arabsat, and 29 land and maritime Inmarsat terminals; fiber-optic cable to Saudi Arabia and microwave radio relay link with Egypt and Syria; connection to international submarine cable FLAG (Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe); participant in MEDARABTEL; international links total about 4,000
Kazakhstan:general assessment: service is poor; equipmentantiquated
domestic: intercity by landline and microwave radio relay; mobile cellular systems are available in most of Kazakhstan
international: international traffic with other former Soviet republics and China carried by landline and microwave radio relay; with other countries by satellite and by the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat
Kenya:general assessment: unreliable; little attempt to modernizeexcept for service to business
domestic: trunks are primarily microwave radio relay; business data commonly transferred by a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system
international: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat
Kiribati: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
note: Kiribati is being linked to the Pacific Ocean CooperativeTelecommunications Network, which should improve telephone service
Korea, North:general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)and 1 Russian (Indian Ocean region); other international connectionsthrough Moscow and Beijing
Korea, South:general assessment: excellent domestic andinternational services
domestic: NA
international: fiber-optic submarine cable to China; theRussia-Korea-Japan submarine cable; satellite earth stations - 3Intelsat (2 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat(Pacific Ocean region)
Kuwait:general assessment: the quality of service is excellent
domestic: new telephone exchanges provide a large capacity for new subscribers; trunk traffic is carried by microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, open wire, and fiber-optic cable; a cellular telephone system operates throughout Kuwait, and the country is well supplied with pay telephones
international: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; linked to Bahrain, Qatar, UAE via the Fiber-Optic Gulf (FOG) cable; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean, 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 2 Arabsat
Kyrgyzstan:general assessment: poorly developed; about 100,000unsatisfied applications for household telephones
domestic: principally microwave radio relay; one cellular provider, probably limited to Bishkek region
international: connections with other CIS countries by landline or microwave radio relay and with other countries by leased connections with Moscow international gateway switch and by satellite; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik and 1 Intelsat; connected internationally by the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line
Laos:general assessment: service to general public is poor butimproving, with over 20,000 telephones currently in service and anadditional 48,000 expected by 2001; the government relies on aradiotelephone network to communicate with remote areas
domestic: radiotelephone communications
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (IndianOcean region)
Latvia:general assessment: inadequate, but is being modernized toprovide an international capability independent of the Moscowinternational switch; more facilities are being installed forindividual use
domestic: expansion underway in intercity trunk line connections,rural exchanges, and mobile systems; still many unsatisfiedsubscriber applications
international: international connections are now available viacable and a satellite earth station at Riga, enabling directconnections for most calls (1998)
Lebanon:general assessment: telecommunications system severelydamaged by civil war; rebuilding well underway
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay and cable
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 IndianOcean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic operations); coaxial cable toSyria; microwave radio relay to Syria but inoperable beyond Syria toJordan; 3 submarine coaxial cables
Lesotho:general assessment: rudimentary system
domestic: consists of a few landlines, a small microwave radiorelay system, and a minor radiotelephone communication system
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Liberia:general assessment: telephone and telegraph service viamicrowave radio relay network; main center is Monrovia
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Libya:general assessment: telecommunications system is beingmodernized; mobile cellular telephone system became operational in1996
domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, cellular, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations
international: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat, NA Arabsat, and NA Intersputnik; submarine cables to France and Italy; microwave radio relay to Tunisia and Egypt; tropospheric scatter to Greece; participant in Medarabtel (1999)
Liechtenstein: general assessment: automatic telephone system
domestic: NA
international: linked to Swiss networks by cable and microwave radio relay
Lithuania:general assessment: inadequate, but is being modernizedto provide an improved international capability and betterresidential access
domestic: a national, fiber-optic cable, interurban, trunk system is nearing completion; rural exchanges are being improved and expanded; mobile cellular systems are being installed; access to the Internet is available; still many unsatisfied telephone subscriber applications
international: landline connections to Latvia and Poland; majorinternational connections to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway bysubmarine cable for further transmission by satellite
Luxembourg:general assessment: highly developed, completelyautomated and efficient system, mainly buried cables
domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; buried cable
international: 3 channels leased on TAT-6 coaxial submarine cable(Europe to North America)
Macau:general assessment: fairly modern communication facilitiesmaintained for domestic and international services
domestic: NA
international: HF radiotelephone communication facility; access to international communications carriers provided via Hong Kong and China; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: NA
Madagascar:general assessment: system is above average for theregion
domestic: open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter links
international: submarine cable to Bahrain; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)
Malawi:general assessment: NA
domestic: fair system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relaylinks, and radiotelephone communications stations
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 IndianOcean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)
Malaysia:general assessment: modern system; international serviceexcellent
domestic: good intercity service provided on Peninsular Malaysia mainly by microwave radio relay; adequate intercity microwave radio relay network between Sabah and Sarawak via Brunei; domestic satellite system with 2 earth stations
international: submarine cables to India, Hong Kong, and Singapore;satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 PacificOcean) (2001)
Maldives:general assessment: minimal domestic and internationalfacilities
domestic: interatoll communication through microwave links; all inhabited islands are connected with telephone and fax service
international: satellite earth station - 3 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Mali:general assessment: domestic system poor but improving;provides only minimal service
domestic: network consists of microwave radio relay, open wire, andradiotelephone communications stations; expansion of microwave radiorelay in progress
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 AtlanticOcean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Malta:general assessment: automatic system satisfies normalrequirements
domestic: submarine cable and microwave radio relay between islands
international: 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Man, Isle of:general assessment: NA
domestic: landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone system
international: fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, satellite earth station, submarine cable
Marshall Islands:general assessment: telex services
domestic: Majuro Atoll and Ebeye and Kwajalein islands have regular, seven-digit, direct-dial telephones; other islands interconnected by shortwave radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes)
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (PacificOcean); US Government satellite communications system on Kwajalein
Martinique:general assessment: domestic facilities are adequate
domestic: NA
international: microwave radio relay to Guadeloupe, Dominica, andSaint Lucia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Mauritania:general assessment: limited system of cable andopen-wire lines, minor microwave radio relay links, andradiotelephone communications stations (improvements being made)
domestic: mostly cable and open-wire lines; a recently completed domestic satellite telecommunications system links Nouakchott with regional capitals
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean) and 2 Arabsat
Mauritius:general assessment: small system with good service
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean);new microwave link to Reunion; HF radiotelephone links to severalcountries
Mayotte:general assessment: small system administered by FrenchDepartment of Posts and Telecommunications
domestic: NA
international: microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communications to Comoros and other international connections
Mexico:general assessment: low telephone density with about 11main lines per 100 persons; privatized in December 1990; the openingto competition in January 1997 has brightened prospects fordevelopment
domestic: adequate telephone service for business and government, but the population is poorly served; domestic satellite system with 120 earth stations; extensive microwave radio relay network; considerable use of fiber-optic cable, coaxial cable, and mobile cellular service
international: satellite earth stations - 32 Intelsat, 2 Solidaridad (giving Mexico improved access to South America, Central America, and much of the US as well as enhancing domestic communications), numerous Inmarsat mobile earth stations; linked to Central American Microwave System of trunk connections; high capacity Columbus-2 fiber-optic submarine cable with access to the US, Virgin Islands, Canary Islands, Morocco, Spain, and Italy (1997)
Micronesia, Federated States of:general assessment: adequate system
domestic: islands interconnected by shortwave radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes)
international: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Moldova:general assessment: inadequate, outmoded, poor serviceoutside Chisinau, some effort to modernize is under way
domestic: new subscribers face long wait for service; mobilecellular telephone service being introduced
international: service through Romania and Russia via landline;satellite earth stations - Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik
Monaco:general assessment: modern automatic telephone system
domestic: NA
international: no satellite earth stations; connected by cable into the French communications system
Mongolia:general assessment: very low density: about 3.5telephones for each thousand persons
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (IndianOcean Region)
Montserrat:general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: NA
Morocco:general assessment: modern system with all importantcapabilities; however density is low with only 4.6 main linesavailable for each 100 persons
domestic: good system composed of open-wire lines, cables, and microwave radio relay links; Internet available but expensive; principal switching centers are Casablanca and Rabat; national network nearly 100% digital using fiber-optic links; improved rural service employs microwave radio relay
international: 7 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; microwave radio relay toGibraltar, Spain, and Western Sahara; coaxial cable and microwaveradio relay to Algeria; participant in Medarabtel; fiber-optic cablelink from Agadir to Algeria and Tunisia (1998)
Mozambique:general assessment: fair system but not availablegenerally (telephone density is only 3.5 telephones for each 1,000persons)
domestic: the system consists of open-wire lines and trunkconnection by microwave radio relay and tropospheric scatter
international: satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (2 AtlanticOcean and 3 Indian Ocean)
Namibia:general assessment: good system; about 6 telephones foreach 100 persons
domestic: good urban services; fair rural service; microwave radiorelay links major towns; connections to other populated places areby open wire; 100% digital
international: fiber-optic cable to South Africa, microwave radio relay link to Botswana, direct links to other neighboring countries; connected to Africa ONE and South African Far East (SAFE) submarine cables through South Africa; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat
Nauru:general assessment: adequate local and internationalradiotelephone communications provided via Australian facilities
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Nepal:general assessment: poor telephone and telegraph service;fair radiotelephone communication service and mobile cellulartelephone network
domestic: NA
international: radiotelephone communications; microwave landline toIndia; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Netherlands:general assessment: highly developed and wellmaintained
domestic: the existing system of multi-conductor cables is gradually being replaced by fiber-optic cables; the density of cellular telephone traffic is rapidly increasing and further modernization of the system is expected in the year 2001, with the introduction of the third generation of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)
international: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions) (1996)
Netherlands Antilles: general assessment: generally adequate facilities
domestic: extensive interisland microwave radio relay links
international: submarine cables - 2; satellite earth stations - 2Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
New Caledonia:general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
New Zealand:general assessment: excellent domestic andinternational systems
domestic: NA
international: submarine cables to Australia and Fiji; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Nicaragua:general assessment: inadequate system being upgraded byforeign investment
domestic: low-capacity microwave radio relay and wire system beingexpanded; connected to Central American Microwave System
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (AtlanticOcean region) and 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Niger:general assessment: small system of wire, radio telephonecommunications, and microwave radio relay links concentrated in thesouthwestern area of Niger
domestic: wire, radiotelephone communications, and microwave radiorelay; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations and 1 planned
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 AtlanticOcean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Nigeria:general assessment: an inadequate system, further limitedby poor maintenance; major expansion is required and a start hasbeen made
domestic: intercity traffic is carried by coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, a domestic communications satellite system with 19 earth stations, and a coastal submarine cable; mobile cellular facilities and the Internet are available
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); coaxial submarine cable SAFE (South African Far East)
Niue:general assessment: primitive system
domestic: single-line telephone system connects all villages on island
international: NA
Norfolk Island: general assessment: adequate
domestic: NA
international: radiotelephone service with Sydney (Australia)
Northern Mariana Islands: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Norway:general assessment: modern in all respects; one of the mostadvanced telecommunications networks in Europe
domestic: Norway has a domestic satellite system; moreover theprevalence of rural areas encourages the wide use of cellular mobilesystems instead of fixed wire systems
international: 2 buried coaxial cable systems; 4 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - NA Eutelsat, NA Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Norway shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden) (1999)
Oman:general assessment: modern system consisting of open wire,microwave, and radiotelephone communication stations; limitedcoaxial cable
domestic: open wire, microwave, radiotelephone communications, anda domestic satellite system with 8 earth stations
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)and 1 Arabsat
Pakistan:general assessment: the domestic system is mediocre, butimproving; service is adequate for government and business use, inpart because major businesses have established their own privatesystems; since 1988, the government has promoted investment in thenational telecommunications system on a priority basis,significantly increasing network capacity; despite majorimprovements in trunk and urban systems, telecommunication servicesare still not readily available to the majority of the ruralpopulation
domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, cellular, and satellite networks
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); 3 operational international gateway exchanges (1 at Karachi and 2 at Islamabad); microwave radio relay to neighboring countries (1999)
Palau: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Panama:general assessment: domestic and international facilitieswell developed
domestic: NA
international: 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to the Central American Microwave System
Papua New Guinea:general assessment: services are adequate andbeing improved; facilities provide radiotelephone and telegraph,coastal radio, aeronautical radio, and international radiocommunication services
domestic: mostly radiotelephone
international: submarine cables to Australia and Guam; satelliteearth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); international radiocommunication service
Paraguay:general assessment: meager telephone service; principalswitching center is Asuncion
domestic: fair microwave radio relay network
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Peru:general assessment: adequate for most requirements
domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system and a domesticsatellite system with 12 earth stations
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean); Pan American submarine cable
Philippines:general assessment: good international radiotelephoneand submarine cable services; domestic and interisland serviceadequate
domestic: domestic satellite system with 11 earth stations
international: 9 international gateways; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean); submarine cables to Hong Kong, Guam, Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan
Pitcairn Islands: general assessment: only party line telephone service is available for this small, closely related community
domestic: party line service only
international: radiotelephone
Poland:general assessment: underdeveloped and outmoded system;government aimed to have 10 million telephones in service by 2000;the process of partial privatization of the state-owned telephonemonopoly has begun; in 1998 there were over 2 million applicants onthe waiting list for telephone service
domestic: cable, open wire, and microwave radio relay; 3 cellular networks; local exchanges 56.6% digital
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat, NA Eutelsat, 2 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions), and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)
Portugal:general assessment: undergoing rapid development inrecent years, Portugal's telephone system, by the end of 1998,achieved a state-of-the-art network with broadband, high-speedcapabilities and a main line telephone density of 53%
domestic: integrated network of coaxial cables, open wire, microwave radio relay, and domestic satellite earth stations
international: 6 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat;tropospheric scatter to Azores; note - an earth station for Inmarsat(Atlantic Ocean region) is planned
Puerto Rico:general assessment: modern system, integrated withthat of the US by high-capacity submarine cable and Intelsat withhigh-speed data capability
domestic: digital telephone system; cellular telephone service
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat; submarine cable to US
Qatar:general assessment: modern system centered in Doha
domestic: NA
international: tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and UAE; submarine cable to Bahrain and UAE; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat
Reunion:general assessment: adequate system; principal center isSaint-Denis
domestic: modern open wire and microwave radio relay network
international: radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Romania: general assessment: poor domestic service, but improving
domestic: 90% of telephone network is automatic; trunk network is mostly microwave radio relay, with some fiber-optic cable; about one-third of exchange capacity is digital; roughly 3,300 villages have no service
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat; new digital,international, direct-dial exchanges operate in Bucharest; note -Romania is an active participant in several internationaltelecommunication network projects (1999)
Russia:general assessment: the telephone system has undergonesignificant changes in the 1990s; there are more than 1,000companies licensed to offer communication services; access todigital lines has improved, particularly in urban centers; Internetand e-mail services are improving; Russia has made progress towardbuilding the telecommunications infrastructure necessary for amarket economy; however, a large demand for main line serviceremains unsatisfied
domestic: cross-country digital trunk lines run from Saint Petersburg to Khabarovsk, and from Moscow to Novorossiysk; the telephone systems in 60 regional capitals have modern digital infrastructures; cellular services, both analog and digital, are available in many areas; in rural areas, the telephone services are still outdated, inadequate, and low density
international: Russia is connected internationally by three undersea fiber-optic cables; digital switches in several cities provide more than 50,000 lines for international calls; satellite earth stations provide access to Intelsat, Intersputnik, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and Orbita systems
Rwanda:general assessment: telephone system primarily servesbusiness and government
domestic: the capital, Kigali, is connected to the centers of theprefectures by microwave radio relay; the remainder of the networkdepends on wire and HF radiotelephone
international: international connections employ microwave radiorelay to neighboring countries and satellite communications to moredistant countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (IndianOcean) in Kigali (includes telex and telefax service)
Saint Helena:general assessment: can communicate with any place inthe world
domestic: automatic network
international: HF radiotelephone from Saint Helena to Ascension which is a major coaxial submarine cable relay point between South Africa, Portugal, and UK ; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Saint Kitts and Nevis: general assessment: good interisland and international connections
domestic: interisland links to Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Martin(Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles) are handled by VHF/UHF/SHFradiotelephone
international: international calls are carried by radiotelephone toAntigua and Barbuda and switched there to submarine cable or toIntelsat; or carried to Saint Martin (Guadeloupe and NetherlandsAntilles) by radiotelephone and switched to Intelsat
Saint Lucia:general assessment: adequate system
domestic: system is automatically switched
international: direct microwave radio relay link with Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; tropospheric scatter to Barbados; international calls beyond these countries are carried by Intelsat from Martinique
Saint Pierre and Miquelon: general assessment: adequate
domestic: NA
international: radiotelephone communication with most countries in the world; 1 earth station in French domestic satellite system
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: general assessment: adequate system
domestic: islandwide, fully automatic telephone system; VHF/UHFradiotelephone from Saint Vincent to the other islands of theGrenadines
international: VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to Barbados; new SHF radiotelephone to Grenada and to Saint Lucia; access to Intelsat earth station in Martinique through Saint Lucia
Samoa: general assessment: adequate
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
San Marino:general assessment: adequate connections
domestic: automatic telephone system completely integrated intoItalian system
international: connected to Italian international network
Sao Tome and Principe: general assessment: adequate facilities
domestic: minimal system
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Saudi Arabia:general assessment: modern system
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and fiber-optic cable systems
international: microwave radio relay to Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Yemen, and Sudan; coaxial cable to Kuwait and Jordan; submarine cable to Djibouti, Egypt and Bahrain; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (3 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region)
Senegal:general assessment: good system
domestic: above-average urban system; microwave radio relay,coaxial cable and fiber-optic cable in trunk system
international: 4 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Seychelles:general assessment: effective system
domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands in thearchipelago
international: direct radiotelephone communications with adjacentisland countries and African coastal countries; satellite earthstation - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Sierra Leone:general assessment: marginal telephone and telegraphservice
domestic: national microwave radio relay trunk system, madeunserviceable by military activities, is now operating from Freetownto Bo and Kenema (April 2001)
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Singapore:general assessment: major consideration given to servingbusiness interests; excellent international service
domestic: excellent domestic facilities
international: submarine cables to Malaysia (Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia), Indonesia, and the Philippines; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean), and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean region)
Slovakia:general assessment: a modernization and privatizationprogram is increasing accessibility to telephone service, reducingthe waiting time for new subscribers, and generally improvingservice quality
domestic: predominantly an analog system that is now receiving digital equipment and is being enlarged with fiber-optic cable, especially in the larger cities; mobile cellular capability has been added
international: three international exchanges (one in Bratislava and two in Banska Bystrica) are available; Slovakia is participating in several international telecommunications projects that will increase the availability of external services
Slovenia: general assessment: NA
domestic: 100% digital (2000)
international: NA
Solomon Islands: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Somalia:general assessment: the public telecommunications systemwas completely destroyed or dismantled by the civil war factions;all relief organizations depend on their own private systems
domestic: recently, local cellular telephone systems have beenestablished in Mogadishu and in several other population centers
international: international connections are available fromMogadishu by satellite
South Africa:general assessment: the system is the best developedand most modern in Africa
domestic: consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay links, fiber-optic cable, radiotelephone communication stations, and wireless local loops; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria
international: 2 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean)
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands:general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken
Spain:general assessment: generally adequate, modern facilities;teledensity is 44 main lines for each 100 persons
domestic: NA
international: 22 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to adjacent countries
Sri Lanka:general assessment: very inadequate domestic service,particularly in rural areas; some hope for improvement withprivatization of national telephone company and encouragement toprivate investment; good international service (1999)
domestic: national trunk network consists mostly of digital microwave radio relay; fiber-optic links now in use in Colombo area and two fixed wireless local loops have been installed; competition is strong in mobile cellular systems; telephone density remains low at 2.6 main lines per 100 persons (1999)
international: submarine cables to Indonesia and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (1999)
Sudan:general assessment: large, well-equipped system by regionalstandards and being upgraded; cellular communications started in1996 and have expanded substantially
domestic: consists of microwave radio relay, cable, radiotelephone communications, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean) and 1 Arabsat (2000)
Suriname:general assessment: international facilities are good
domestic: microwave radio relay network
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean)
Svalbard:general assessment: probably adequate
domestic: local telephone service
international: satellite earth station - 1 of unknown type (for communication with Norwegian mainland only)
Swaziland:general assessment: not a modern system
domestic: system consists of carrier-equipped, open-wire lines andlow-capacity, microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Sweden:general assessment: excellent domestic and internationalfacilities; automatic system
domestic: coaxial and multiconductor cables carry most of the voicetraffic; parallel microwave radio relay systems carry someadditional telephone channels
international: 5 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Sweden shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway)
Switzerland:general assessment: excellent domestic andinternational services
domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay networks
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean and Indian Ocean)
Syria:general assessment: fair system currently undergoingsignificant improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optictechnology
domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay network
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 1 submarine cable; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey; participant in Medarabtel
Tajikistan:general assessment: poorly developed and not wellmaintained; many towns are not reached by the national network
domestic: cable and microwave radio relay
international: linked by cable and microwave radio relay to other CIS republics and by leased connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; Dushanbe linked by Intelsat to international gateway switch in Ankara (Turkey); satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 2 Intelsat
Tanzania:general assessment: fair system operating below capacityand being modernized for better service; VSAT (very small apertureterminal) system under construction
domestic: trunk service provided by open wire, microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and fiber-optic cable; some links being made digital
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 IndianOcean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)
Thailand:general assessment: service to general public adequate,but investment in technological upgrades reduced by recession; bulkof service to government activities provided by multichannel cableand microwave radio relay network
domestic: microwave radio relay and multichannel cable; domesticsatellite system being developed
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 IndianOcean and 1 Pacific Ocean)
Togo:general assessment: fair system based on a network ofmicrowave radio relay routes supplemented by open-wire lines and amobile cellular system
domestic: microwave radio relay and open-wire lines for conventional system; cellular system has capacity of 10,000 telephones
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean) and 1 Symphonie
Tokelau:general assessment: adequate
domestic: radiotelephone service between islands
international: radiotelephone service to Samoa; government-regulated telephone service (TeleTok), with 3 satellite earth stations, established in 1997
Tonga: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Trinidad and Tobago: general assessment: excellent international service; good local service
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and Guyana
Tunisia:general assessment: above the African average andcontinuing to be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte,and Tunis; Internet access available
domestic: trunk facilities consist of open-wire lines, coaxial cable, and microwave radio relay
international: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria and Libya; participant in Medarabtel; two international gateway digital switches
Turkey:general assessment: undergoing rapid modernization andexpansion, especially cellular telephones
domestic: additional digital exchanges are permitting a rapid increase in subscribers; the construction of a network of technologically advanced intercity trunk lines, using both fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay is facilitating communication between urban centers; remote areas are reached by a domestic satellite system; the number of subscribers to mobile cellular telephone service is growing rapidly
international: international service is provided by three submarine fiber-optic cables in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, linking Turkey with Italy, Greece, Israel, Bulgaria, Romania, and Russia, by 12 Intelsat earth stations, and by 328 mobile satellite terminals in the Inmarsat and Eutelsat systems
Turkmenistan: general assessment: poorly developed
domestic: NA
international: linked by cable and microwave radio relay to other CIS republics and to other countries by leased connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; a new telephone link from Ashgabat to Iran has been established; a new exchange in Ashgabat switches international traffic through Turkey via Intelsat; satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 1 Intelsat
Turks and Caicos Islands: general assessment: fair cable and radiotelephone services
domestic: NA
international: 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Tuvalu:general assessment: serves particular needs for internalcommunications
domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands
international: NA
Uganda:general assessment: seriously inadequate; two cellularsystems have been introduced, but a sharp increase in the number ofmain lines is essential; e-mail and Internet services are available
domestic: intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, and radiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile cellular systems for short range traffic
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to Kenya and Tanzania
Ukraine:general assessment: Ukraine's telecommunicationdevelopment plan, running through 2005, emphasizes improvingdomestic trunk lines, international connections, and the mobilecellular system
domestic: at independence in December 1991, Ukraine inherited a telephone system that was antiquated, inefficient, and in disrepair; more than 3.5 million applications for telephones could not be satisfied; telephone density is now rising slowly and the domestic trunk system is being improved; the mobile cellular telephone system is expanding at a high rate
international: two new domestic trunk lines are a part of the fiber-optic Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) system and three Ukrainian links have been installed in the fiber-optic Trans-European Lines (TEL) project which connects 18 countries; additional international service is provided by the Italy-Turkey-Ukraine-Russia (ITUR) fiber-optic submarine cable and by earth stations in the Intelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems
United Arab Emirates:general assessment: modern system consistingof microwave radio relay and coaxial cable; key centers are AbuDhabi and Dubai
domestic: microwave radio relay and coaxial cable
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; submarine cables to Qatar, Bahrain, India, and Pakistan; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia
United Kingdom:general assessment: technologically advanceddomestic and international system
domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and fiber-optic systems
international: 40 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat; at least 8 large international switching centers
United States:general assessment: a very large, technologicallyadvanced, multipurpose communications system
domestic: a large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and domestic satellites carries every form of telephone traffic; a rapidly growing cellular system carries mobile telephone traffic throughout the country
international: 24 ocean cable systems in use; satellite earth stations - 61 Intelsat (45 Atlantic Ocean and 16 Pacific Ocean), 5 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 4 Inmarsat (Pacific and Atlantic Ocean regions) (2000)
Uruguay:general assessment: some modern facilities
domestic: most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; newnationwide microwave radio relay network
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean)
Uzbekistan:general assessment: antiquated and inadequate; inserious need of modernization
domestic: the domestic telephone system is being expanded and technologically improved, particularly in Tashkent and Samarqand, under contracts with prominent companies in industrialized countries; moreover, by 1998, six cellular networks had been placed in operation - four of the GSM type (Global System for Mobile Communication), one D-AMPS type (Digital Advanced Mobile Phone System), and one AMPS type (Advanced Mobile Phone System)
international: linked by landline or microwave radio relay with CIS member states and to other countries by leased connection via the Moscow international gateway switch; after the completion of the Uzbek link to the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable, Uzbekistan will be independent of Russian facilities for international communications; Inmarsat also provides an international connection, albeit an expensive one; satellite earth stations - NA (1998)
Vanuatu: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Venezuela: general assessment: modern and expanding
domestic: domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations; recent substantial improvement in telephone service in rural areas; substantial increase in digitalization of exchanges and trunk lines; installation of a national interurban fiber-optic network capable of digital multimedia services
international: 3 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 PanAmSat; participating with Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in the construction of an international fiber-optic network
Vietnam:general assessment: Vietnam is putting considerable effortinto modernization and expansion of its telecommunication system,but its performance continues to lag behind that of its more modernneighbors
domestic: all provincial exchanges are digitalized and connected to Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City by fiber-optic cable or microwave radio relay networks; since 1991, main lines in use have been substantially increased and the use of mobile telephones is growing rapidly
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (IndianOcean region)
Virgin Islands:general assessment: NA
domestic: modern, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay
international: submarine cable and satellite communications; satellite earth stations - NA
Wake Island:general assessment: satellite communications; 1 DSNcircuit off the Overseas Telephone System (OTS)
domestic: NA
international: NA
Wallis and Futuna: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: NA
West Bank: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: NA
note: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for communication services in the West Bank
Western Sahara:general assessment: sparse and limited system
domestic: NA
international: tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
World: general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: NA
Yemen:general assessment: since unification in 1990, efforts havebeen made to create a national telecommunications network
domestic: the national network consists of microwave radio relay,cable, tropospheric scatter, and GSM cellular mobile telephonesystems
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 IndianOcean and 1 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region),and 2 Arabsat; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and Djibouti
Yugoslavia:general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Zambia:general assessment: facilities are among the best inSub-Saharan Africa
domestic: high-capacity microwave radio relay connects most larger towns and cities; several cellular telephone services in operation; Internet service is widely available; very small aperture terminal (VSAT) networks are operated by private firms
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 IndianOcean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)
Zimbabwe:general assessment: system was once one of the best inAfrica, but now suffers from poor maintenance; more than 100,000outstanding requests for connection despite an equally large numberof installed but unused main lines
domestic: consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines, radiotelephone communication stations, fixed wireless local loop installations, and a substantial mobile cellular network; Internet connection is available in Harare and planned for all major towns and for some of the smaller ones
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat; two international digital gateway exchanges (in Harare and Gweru)
Taiwan:general assessment: provides telecommunications service forevery business and private need
domestic: thoroughly modern; completely digitalized