Turkmenistan18 years of age; universal
Turks and Caicos Islands18 years of age; universal
Tuvalu18 years of age; universal
Uganda18 years of age; universal
Ukraine18 years of age; universal
United Arab Emiratesnone
United Kingdom18 years of age; universal
United States18 years of age; universal
Uruguay18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Uzbekistan18 years of age; universal
Vanuatu18 years of age; universal
Venezuela18 years of age; universal
Vietnam18 years of age; universal
Virgin Islands18 years of age; universal; island residents are UScitizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Wallis and Futuna18 years of age; universal
Western Saharanone; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaignnot yet completed
Yemen18 years of age; universal
Zambia18 years of age; universal
Zimbabwe18 years of age; universal
This page was last updated on 18 December 2008
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@2124 Telephone system
Afghanistangeneral assessment: limited landline telephone service;an increasing number of Afghans utilize mobile-cellular phonenetworks in major citiesdomestic: aided by the presence of multiple providers,mobile-cellular telephone service is improving rapidlyinternational: country code - 93; five VSAT's installed in Kabul,Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar, and Jalalabad provide internationaland domestic voice and data connectivity (2007)
Albaniageneral assessment: despite new investment in fixed lines,the density of main lines remains low with roughly 10 lines per 100people; cellular telephone use is widespread and generallyeffective; combined fixed line and mobile telephone density isapproximately 75 telephones per 100 personsdomestic: offsetting the shortage of fixed line capacity, mobilephone service has been available since 1996; by 2003, two companieswere providing mobile services at a greater density than some ofAlbania's neighbors; Internet broadband services initiated in 2005;Internet cafes are popular in Tirana and have started to spreadoutside the capitalinternational: country code - 355; submarine cable providesconnectivity to Italy, Croatia, and Greece; the Trans-Balkan Line, acombination submarine cable and land fiber-optic system, providesadditional connectivity to Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Turkey;international traffic carried by fiber-optic cable and, whennecessary, by microwave radio relay from the Tirana exchange toItaly and Greece (2007)
Algeriageneral assessment: a weak network of fixed-main lines,which remains low at less than 10 telephones per 100 persons, ispartially offset by the rapid increase in mobile cellularsubscribership; in 2007, combined fixed-line and mobile telephonedensity surpassed 90 telephones per 100 personsdomestic: privatization of Algeria's telecommunications sector beganin 2000; three mobile cellular licenses have been issued and, in2005, a consortium led by Egypt's Orascom Telecom won a 15-yearlicense to build and operate a fixed-line network in Algeria; thelicense will allow Orascom to develop high-speed data and otherspecialized services and contribute to meeting the large unfulfilleddemand for basic residential telephony; Internet broadband servicesbegan in 2003 with approximately 200,000 subscribers in 2006international: country code - 213; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4fiber-optic submarine cable system that provides links to Europe,the Middle East, and Asia; microwave radio relay to Italy, France,Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia; coaxial cable to Morocco and Tunisia;participant in Medarabtel; satellite earth stations - 51 (Intelsat,Intersputnik, and Arabsat) (2007)
American Samoageneral assessment: NAdomestic: good telex, telegraph, facsimile, and cellular telephoneservices; domestic satellite system with 1 Comsat earth stationinternational: country code - 1-684; satellite earth station - 1(Intelsat-Pacific Ocean)
Andorrageneral assessment: NAdomestic: modern system with microwave radio relay connectionsbetween exchangesinternational: country code - 376; landline circuits to France andSpain
Angolageneral assessment: system inadequate; fewer than onefixed-line per 100 persons; combined fixed line and mobile telephonedensity exceeded 25 telephones per 100 persons in 2007domestic: state-owned telecom had monopoly for fixed-lines until2005; demand outstripped capacity, prices were high, and servicespoor; Telecom Namibia, through an Angolan company, became the firstprivate licensed operator in Angola's fixed-line telephone network;Angola Telecom established mobile-cellular service in Luanda in 1993and the network has been extended to larger towns; aprivately-owned, mobile-cellular service provider began operationsin 2001international: country code - 244; landing point for the SAT-3/WASCfiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe andAsia; satellite earth stations - 29 (2007)
Anguillageneral assessment: NAdomestic: modern internal telephone systeminternational: country code - 1-264; landing point for the EastCaribbean Fiber System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13 otherislands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British VirginIslands to Trinidad; microwave radio relay to island of Saint Martin(Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles) (2007)
Antarcticageneral assessment: local systems at some researchstationsdomestic: commercial cellular networks operating in a small numberof locationsinternational: country code - none allocated; via satellite(including mobile Inmarsat and Iridium systems) to and from allresearch stations, ships, aircraft, and most field parties (2007)
Antigua and Barbudageneral assessment: NAdomestic: good automatic telephone systeminternational: country code - 1-268; landing point for the EastCaribbean Fiber System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13 otherislands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British VirginIslands to Trinidad; satellite earth stations - 2; troposphericscatter to Saba (Netherlands Antilles) and Guadeloupe (2007)
Argentinageneral assessment: by opening the telecommunicationsmarket to competition and foreign investment with the"Telecommunications Liberalization Plan of 1998," Argentinaencouraged the growth of modern telecommunications technology;fiber-optic cable trunk lines are being installed between all majorcities; major networks are entirely digital and the availability oftelephone service is improving; fixed-line telephone density isgradually increasing reaching nearly 25 lines per 100 people in2007; mobile telephone subscribership has been increasing rapidlyand has reached a level of 100 telephones per 100 personsdomestic: microwave radio relay, fiber-optic cable, and a domesticsatellite system with 40 earth stations serve the trunk network;more than 110,000 pay telephones are installed and mobile telephoneuse is rapidly expanding; broadband services are gaining groundinternational: country code - 54; landing point for the Atlantis-2,UNISUR, and South America-1 optical submarine cable systems thatprovide links to Europe, Africa, South and Central America, and US;satellite earth stations - 112; 2 international gateways near BuenosAires (2007)
Armeniageneral assessment: telecommunications investments have mademajor inroads in modernizing and upgrading the outdatedtelecommunications network inherited from the Soviet era; now 100%privately owned and undergoing modernization and expansion;mobile-cellular services monopoly terminated in late 2004 and asecond provider began operations in mid-2005domestic: reliable modern landline and mobile-cellular services areavailable across Yerevan in major cities and towns; significant butever-shrinking gaps remain in mobile-cellular coverage in rural areasinternational: country code - 374; Yerevan is connected to theTrans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic cable through Iran; additionalinternational service is available by microwave radio relay andlandline connections to the other countries of the Commonwealth ofIndependent States, through the Moscow international switch, and bysatellite to the rest of the world; satellite earth stations - 3(2007)
Arubageneral assessment: modern fully automatic telecommunicationssystemdomestic: increased competition through privatization; 3 wirelessservice providers are now licensedinternational: country code - 297; landing site for the PAN-AMsubmarine telecommunications cable system that extends from the USVirgin Islands through Aruba to Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, and thewest coast of South America; extensive interisland microwave radiorelay links (2007)
Australiageneral assessment: excellent domestic and internationalservicedomestic: domestic satellite system; significant use ofradiotelephone in areas of low population density; rapid growth ofmobile cellular telephonesinternational: country code - 61; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3optical telecommunications submarine cable with links to Asia, theMiddle East, and Europe; the Southern Cross fiber optic submarinecable provides links to New Zealand and the United States; satelliteearth stations - 19 (10 Intelsat - 4 Indian Ocean and 6 PacificOcean, 2 Inmarsat - Indian and Pacific Ocean regions, 2 Globalstar,5 other) (2007)
Austriageneral assessment: highly developed and efficientdomestic: fixed-line subscribership has been in decline since themid-1990s with mobile-cellular subscribership eclipsing it by thelate 1990s; the fiber-optic net is very extensive; all telephoneapplications and Internet services are availableinternational: country code - 43; satellite earth stations - 15; inaddition, there are about 600 VSATs (very small aperture terminals)(2007)
Azerbaijangeneral assessment: inadequate; requires considerableexpansion and modernization; teledensity of 15 main lines per 100persons is low; mobile-cellular penetration is increasing and iscurrently about 50 telephones per 100 personsdomestic: fixed-line telephony and a broad range of other telecomservices are controlled by a state-owned telecommunications monopolyand growth has been stagnant; more competition exists in themobile-cellular market with three providers in 2006; satelliteservice connects Baku to a modern switch in its exclave of Naxcivaninternational: country code - 994; the old Soviet system of cableand microwave is still serviceable; satellite earth stations - 2(2007)
Bahamas, Thegeneral assessment: modern facilitiesdomestic: totally automatic system; highly developed; the BahamasDomestic Submarine Network links 14 of the islands and is designedto satisfy increasing demand for voice and broadband internetservicesinternational: country code - 1-242; landing point for the AmericasRegion Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic submarine cablethat provides links to South and Central America, parts of theCaribbean, and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 (2007)
Bahraingeneral assessment: modern systemdomestic: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital networkwith rapidly growing use of mobile-cellular telephonesinternational: country code - 973; landing point for the Fiber-OpticLink Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine cable network that provideslinks to Asia, Middle East, Europe, and US; tropospheric scatter toQatar and UAE; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; satelliteearth station - 1 (2007)
Bangladeshgeneral assessment: inadequate for a modern country;fixed-line telephone density remains less than 1 per 100 persons;mobile-cellular telephone subscribership has been increasing rapidlyand is approaching 25 per 100 personsdomestic: modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systemsinclude VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and somefiber-optic cable in citiesinternational: country code - 880; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4fiber-optic submarine cable system that provides links to Europe,the Middle East, and Asia; satellite earth stations - 6;international radiotelephone communications and landline service toneighboring countries (2007)
Barbadosgeneral assessment: fixed-line teledensity of roughly 50per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density of about 85 per100 personsdomestic: island-wide automatic telephone systeminternational: country code - 1-246; landing point for the EastCaribbean Fiber System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13 otherislands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British VirginIslands to Trinidad; satellite earth stations - 1 (Intelsat-Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia(2007)
Belarusgeneral assessment: Belarus lags behind its neighbors inupgrading telecommunications infrastructure; state-owned Beltelcomis the sole provider of fixed-line local and long distance service;fixed-line teledensity of roughly 35 per 100 persons;mobile-cellular telephone density of about 60 per 100 persons;modernization of the network progressing with roughly two-thirds ofswitching equipment now digitaldomestic: fixed-line penetration is improving although rural areascontinue to be underserved; 3 GSM wireless networks are experiencingrapid growth; strict government controls on telecommunicationstechnologiesinternational: country code - 375; Belarus is a member of theTrans-European Line (TEL), Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line,and has access to the Trans-Siberia Line (TSL); 3 fiber-opticsegments provide connectivity to Latvia, Poland, Russia, andUkraine; worldwide service is available to Belarus through thisinfrastructure; additional analog lines to Russia; Intelsat,Eutelsat, and Intersputnik earth stations (2007)
Belgiumgeneral assessment: highly developed, technologicallyadvanced, and completely automated domestic and internationaltelephone and telegraph facilitiesdomestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; extensive cablenetwork; limited microwave radio relay networkinternational: country code - 32; landing point for a number ofsubmarine cables that provide links to Europe, the Middle East, andAsia; satellite earth stations - 7 (Intelsat - 3) (2007)
Belizegeneral assessment: above-average system; fixed-lineteledensity of 12 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone densityof about 40 per 100 personsdomestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relayinternational: country code - 501; landing point for the AmericasRegion Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optictelecommunications submarine cable that provides links to South andCentral America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earthstation - 8 (Intelsat - 2, unknown - 6) (2007)
Beningeneral assessment: inadequate; fixed-line networkcharacterized by aging, deteriorating equipment with fixed-lineteledensity stuck at 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephonesubscribership is increasingdomestic: system of open-wire, microwave radio relay, and cellularconnections; multiple mobile-cellular providersinternational: country code - 229; landing point for the SAT-3/WASCfiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe andAsia; satellite earth stations - 7 (Intelsat-Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Bermudageneral assessment: gooddomestic: fully automatic digital telephone system; fiber optictrunk linesinternational: country code - 1-441; landing point for theAtlantica-1 telecommunications submarine cable that extends from theUS to Brazil; satellite earth stations - 3 (2007)
Bhutangeneral assessment: urban towns and district headquartershave telecommunications servicesdomestic: very low teledensity; domestic service is very poorespecially in rural areas; wireless service available since 2003international: country code - 975; international telephone andtelegraph service via landline and microwave relay through India;satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (2007)
Boliviageneral assessment: privatization begun in 1995; reliabilityhas steadily improved; new subscribers face bureaucraticdifficulties; most telephones are concentrated in La Paz and othercities; mobile-cellular telephone use expanding rapidly; fixed-lineteledensity of 7 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone densityof 35 per 100 personsdomestic: primary trunk system, which is being expanded, employsdigital microwave radio relay; some areas are served by fiber-opticcable; mobile cellular systems are being expandedinternational: country code - 591; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Bosnia and Herzegovinageneral assessment: post-war reconstructionof the telecommunications network, aided by a internationallysponsored program under ERBD, resulted in sharp increases in thenumber of main telephone lines available; mobile cellularsubscribership has been increasing rapidlydomestic: fixed-line teledensity roughly 25 per 100 persons;mobile-cellular telephone density exceeds 50 per 100 personsinternational: country code - 387; no satellite earth stations (2007)
Botswanageneral assessment: the system is expanding with the growthof mobile-cellular service and participation in regionaldevelopment; system is fully digital with fiber-optic cables linkingthe major population centers in the east; fixed-line connectionsdeclined in recent years and now stand at roughly 8 per 100 persons;mobile-cellular telephone density currently is about 80 per 100personsdomestic: small system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relaylinks, and a few radiotelephone communication stations;mobile-cellular service is growing fastinternational: country code - 267; international calls are made viasatellite, using international direct dialing; 2 internationalexchanges; digital microwave radio relay links to Namibia, Zambia,Zimbabwe, and South Africa; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat(Indian Ocean) (2007)
Brazilgeneral assessment: good working system; fixed-lineconnections have remained relatively stable in recent years andstand at about 20 per 100 persons; less expensive mobile cellulartechnology is a major driver in expanding telephone service to thelow-income segment of the population with mobile-cellular telephonedensity reaching nearly 65 per 100 personsdomestic: extensive microwave radio relay system and a domesticsatellite system with 64 earth stations; mobile-cellular usage hasmore than tripled in the past 5 yearsinternational: country code - 55; landing point for a number ofsubmarine cables that provide direct links to South and CentralAmerica, the Caribbean, the US, Africa, and Europe; satellite earthstations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Oceanregion east), connected by microwave relay system to MercosurBrazilsat B3 satellite earth station (2007)
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: country code (Diego Garcia) - 246; international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)
British Virgin Islandsgeneral assessment: worldwide telephoneservicedomestic: NAinternational: country code - 1-284; connected via submarine cableto Bermuda; the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) submarine cableprovides connectivity to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean(2007)
Bruneigeneral assessment: service throughout the country isexcellent; international service is good to Southeast Asia, MiddleEast, Western Europe, and the USdomestic: every service availableinternational: country code - 673; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides links toAsia, the Middle East, and Europe; the Asia-America Gatewaysubmarine cable network, scheduled for completion by late 2008, willprovide new links to Asia and the US; satellite earth stations - 2Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) (2007)
Bulgariageneral assessment: an extensive but antiquatedtelecommunications network inherited from the Soviet era; qualityhas improved; the Bulgaria Telecommunications Company's fixed-linemonopoly terminated in 2005 when alternative fixed-line operatorswere given access to its network; a drop in fixed-line connectionsin recent years has been more than offset by a sharp increase inmobile-cellular telephone use fostered by multiple serviceproviders; the number of cellular telephone subscriptions nowexceeds the populationdomestic: a fairly modern digital cable trunk line now connectsswitching centers in most of the regions; the others are connectedby digital microwave radio relayinternational: country code - 359; submarine cable providesconnectivity to Ukraine and Russia; a combination submarine cableand land fiber-optic system provides connectivity to Italy, Albania,and Macedonia; satellite earth stations - 3 (1 Intersputnik in theAtlantic Ocean region, 2 Intelsat in the Atlantic and Indian Oceanregions) (2007)
Burkina Fasogeneral assessment: services only fair; in 2006 thegovernment sold a 51 percent stake in the national telephone companyand ultimately plans to retain only a 23 percent stake in thecompany; fixed-line connections stand at less than 1 per 100persons; mobile-cellular usage, fostered by multiple providers, isincreasing rapidly from a low basedomestic: microwave radio relay, open-wire, and radiotelephonecommunication stationsinternational: country code - 226; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Burmageneral assessment: meets minimum requirements for local andintercity service for business and governmentdomestic: system barely capable of providing basic service; cellularphone system is grossly underdeveloped with a subscribership base ofless than 1 per 100 personsinternational: country code - 95; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides links toAsia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2,Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and ShinSat (2007)
Burundigeneral assessment: primitive system; telephone density oneof the lowest in the world; fixed-line connections stand at wellless than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage is increasing butremains at a meager 3 per 100 personsdomestic: sparse system of open-wire, radiotelephone communications,and low-capacity microwave radio relayinternational: country code - 257; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2007)
Cambodiageneral assessment: mobile-phone systems are widely used inurban areas to bypass deficiencies in the fixed-line network;fixed-line connections stand at well less than 1 per 100 persons;mobile-cellular usage, aided by increasing competition among serviceproviders, is increasing and stands at nearly 20 per 100 personsdomestic: adequate landline and/or cellular service in Phnom Penhand other provincial cities; mobile-phone coverage is rapidlyexpanding in rural areasinternational: country code - 855; adequate but expensive landlineand cellular service available to all countries from Phnom Penh andmajor provincial cities; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik(Indian Ocean region) (2007)
Cameroongeneral assessment: fixed-line connections stand at lessthan 1 per 100 persons; equipment is old and outdated, andconnections with many parts of the country are unreliable;mobile-cellular usage, in part a reflection of the poor conditionand general inadequacy of the fixed-line network, increased morethan 6-fold between 2002 and 2007 reaching a subscribership base of25 per 100 personsdomestic: cable, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatterinternational: country code - 237; landing point for the SAT-3/WASCfiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe andAsia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Canadageneral assessment: excellent service provided by moderntechnologydomestic: domestic satellite system with about 300 earth stationsinternational: country code - 1; submarine cables provide links tothe US and Europe; satellite earth stations - 7 (5 Intelsat - 4Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean, and 2 Intersputnik - AtlanticOcean region) (2007)
Cape Verdegeneral assessment: effective system, extensivemodernization from 1996-2000 following partial privatization in 1995domestic: major service provider is Cabo Verde Telecom (CVT);fiber-optic ring, completed in 2001, links all islands providingInternet access and ISDN services; cellular service introduced in1998; broadband services launched in 2004international: country code - 238; landing point for the Atlantis-2fiber-optic transatlantic telephone cable that provides links toSouth America, Senegal, and Europe; HF radiotelephone to Senegal andGuinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)(2007)
Cayman Islandsgeneral assessment: reasonably good systemdomestic: liberalization of telecom market in 2003; introduction ofcompetition in the mobile-cellular market in 2004international: country code - 1-345; landing point for the MAYA-1submarine telephone cable network that provides links to the US andparts of Central and South America; submarine cable providesconnectivity to Jamaica; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat(Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Central African Republicgeneral assessment: limited telephoneservice; fixed-line connections for well less than 1 per 100 personscoupled with mobile-cellular usage of only about 3 per 100 persons;most fixed-line and cellular telephone services are concentrated inBanguidomestic: network consists principally of microwave radio relay andlow-capacity, low-powered radiotelephone communicationinternational: country code - 236; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Chadgeneral assessment: primitive system with high costs and lowtelephone density; fixed-line connections for only about 1 per 1000persons coupled with mobile-cellular usage of only about 9 per 100personsdomestic: fair system of radiotelephone communication stationsinternational: country code - 235; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Chilegeneral assessment: privatization begun in 1988; most advancedtelecommunications infrastructure in South America; modern systembased on extensive microwave radio relay facilities; fixed-lineconnections have dropped in recent years as mobile-cellular usagecontinues to increase, reaching a level of 85 telephones per 100personsdomestic: extensive microwave radio relay links; domestic satellitesystem with 3 earth stationsinternational: country code - 56; submarine cables provide links tothe US and to Central and South America; satellite earth stations -2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Chinageneral assessment: domestic and international services areincreasingly available for private use; unevenly distributeddomestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, andmany towns; nonetheless, by the end of 2006, more than 95% ofChina's villages had been connected to the telephone network; Chinacontinues to develop its telecommunications infrastructure, and ispartnering with foreign providers to expand its global reach; 3 ofChina's 6 major telecommunications operators are part of aninternational consortium which, in December 2006, signed anagreement with Verizon Business to build the first next-generationfiber optic submarine cable system directly linking the US mainlandand Chinadomestic: interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellulartelephone systems have been installed; mobile-cellularsubscribership is increasing rapidly; the number of Internet usersreached 253 million in 2008; a domestic satellite system with 55earth stations is in placeinternational: country code - 86; a number of submarine cablesprovide connectivity to Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the US;satellite earth stations - 7 (5 Intelsat - 4 Pacific Ocean and 1Indian Ocean; 1 Intersputnik - Indian Ocean region; and 1 Inmarsat -Pacific and Indian Ocean regions) (2007)
Christmas Islandgeneral assessment: service provided by theAustralian networkdomestic: GSM mobile telephone service replaced older analog systemin February 2005international: country code - 61-8; satellite earth station - 1(Intelsat provides telephone and telex service) (2005)
Cocos (Keeling) Islandsgeneral assessment: connected withinAustralia's telecommunication system; a local mobile-cellularnetwork is in operationdomestic: NAinternational: country code - 61; telephone, telex, and facsimilecommunications with Australia and elsewhere via satellite; satelliteearth station - 1 (Intelsat) (2001)
Colombiageneral assessment: modern system in many respects;telecommunications sector liberalized during the 1990s; multipleproviders of both fixed-line and mobile-cellular services;fixed-line connections stand at about 18 per 100 persons; mobilecellular usage is about 75 per 100 persons; competition amongcellular service providers is resulting in falling local andinternational calling rates and contributing to the steep decline inthe market share of fixed line servicesdomestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system; domesticsatellite system with 41 earth stations; fiber-optic network linking50 citiesinternational: country code - 57; submarine cables provide links tothe US, parts of the Caribbean, and Central and South America;satellite earth stations - 10 (6 Intelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 3 fullydigitalized international switching centers) (2007)
Comorosgeneral assessment: sparse system of microwave radio relayand HF radiotelephone communication stations; fixed-line connectionsonly about 3 per 100 persons; mobile cellular usage about 5 per 100personsdomestic: HF radiotelephone communications and microwave radio relayinternational: country code - 269; HF radiotelephone communicationsto Madagascar and Reunion
Congo, Democratic Republic of thegeneral assessment: inadequate;state-owned fixed-line operator has been unable to expand fixed-lineconnections and there are now fewer than 10,000 connections - lessthan 1 per 1000 persons; given the backdrop of a wholly inadequatefixed-line infrastructure, the use of cellular services has surgedand subscribership in 2007 reached 6.6 million - 10 per 100 personsdomestic: barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service inand between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earthstationsinternational: country code - 243; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Congo, Republic of thegeneral assessment: services barely adequatefor government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire,and Loubomo; intercity lines frequently out of order; fixed-lineinfrastructure inadequate providing less than 1 connection per 100persons; in the absence of an adequate fixed line infrastructure,mobile-cellular subscribership has surged reaching 35 per 100 personsdomestic: primary network consists of microwave radio relay andcoaxial cableinternational: country code - 242; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Cook Islandsgeneral assessment: Telecom Cook Islands offersinternational direct dialing, Internet, email, fax, and Telexdomestic: individual islands are connected by a combination ofsatellite earth stations, microwave systems, and VHF and HFradiotelephone; within the islands, service is provided by smallexchanges connected to subscribers by open-wire, cable, andfiber-optic cableinternational: country code - 682; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Costa Ricageneral assessment: good domestic telephone service interms of breadth of coverage; restricted cellular telephone service;state-run monopoly provider is struggling with the demand for newlines, resulting in long waiting timesdomestic: point-to-point and point-to-multi-point microwave,fiber-optic, and coaxial cable link rural areas; Internet service isavailableinternational: country code - 506; landing point for the AmericasRegion Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optictelecommunications submarine cable and the MAYA-1 submarine cablethat provide links to South and Central America, parts of theCaribbean, and the US; connected to Central American MicrowaveSystem; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Cote d'Ivoiregeneral assessment: well developed by Africanstandards; telecommunications sector privatized in late 1990s andoperational fixed-lines have more than quadrupled since that time;with multiple cellular service providers competing in the market,cellular usage has increased sharply to roughly 40 per 100 personsdomestic: open-wire lines and microwave radio relay; 90% digitalizedinternational: country code - 225; landing point for the SAT-3/WASCfiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe andAsia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1Indian Ocean) (2007)
Croatiageneral assessment: the telecommunications network hasimproved steadily since the mid-1990s; the number of fixed telephonelines holding steady at about 40 per 100 persons; the number ofcellular telephone subscriptions exceeds the populationdomestic: more than 90 percent of local lines are digitalinternational: country code - 385; digital international service isprovided through the main switch in Zagreb; Croatia participates inthe Trans-Asia-Europe (TEL) fiber-optic project, which consists of 2fiber-optic trunk connections with Slovenia and a fiber-optic trunkline from Rijeka to Split and Dubrovnik; the ADRIA-1 submarine cableprovides connectivity to Albania and Greece (2007)
Cubageneral assessment: greater investment beginning in 1994 andthe establishment of a new Ministry of Information Technology andCommunications in 2000 has resulted in improvements in the system;wireless service is expensive and must be paid in convertible pesoswhich effectively limits mobile cellular subscribershipdomestic: national fiber-optic system under development; 95% ofswitches digitized by end of 2006; fixed telephone line densityremains low, at less than 10 per 100 inhabitants; domestic cellularservice expanding but remains at only about 2 per 100 personsinternational: country code - 53; fiber-optic cable laid to but notlinked to US network; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik(Atlantic Ocean region) (2007)
Cyprusgeneral assessment: excellent in both area under governmentcontrol and area administered by Turkish Cypriotsdomestic: open-wire, fiber-optic cable, and microwave radio relayinternational: country code - 357 (area administered by TurkishCypriots uses the country code of Turkey - 90); a number ofsubmarine cables, including the SEA-ME-WE-3, combine to provideconnectivity to Western Europe, the Middle East, and Asia;tropospheric scatter; satellite earth stations - 8 (3 Intelsat - 1Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean, 2 Eutelsat, 2 Intersputnik, and 1Arabsat)
Czech Republicgeneral assessment: privatization and modernizationof the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but isadvancing steadily; access to the fixed-line telephone networkexpanded throughout the 1990s but the number of fixed lineconnections has been dropping since then; mobile telephone usageincreased sharply beginning in the mid-1990s and the number ofcellular telephone subscriptions now greatly exceeds the populationdomestic: virtually all exchanges now digital; existing coppersubscriber systems enhanced with Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line(ADSL) equipment to accommodate Internet and other digital signals;trunk systems include fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relayinternational: country code - 420; satellite earth stations - 6 (2Intersputnik - Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions, 1 Intelsat, 1Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar) (2007)
Denmarkgeneral assessment: excellent telephone and telegraphservicesdomestic: buried and submarine cables and microwave radio relay formtrunk network, 4 cellular mobile communications systemsinternational: country code - 45; a series of fiber-optic submarinecables link Denmark with Canada, Faroe Islands, Germany, Iceland,Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and UK; satellite earthstations - 18 (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 stationand the Eik, Norway, station for worldwide Inmarsat access
Djiboutigeneral assessment: telephone facilities in the city ofDjibouti are adequate, as are the microwave radio relay connectionsto outlying areas of the countrydomestic: microwave radio relay network; mobile cellular coverage isprimarily limited to the area in and around Djibouti cityinternational: country code - 253; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3optical telecommunications submarine cable with links to Asia, theMiddle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2 (1 Intelsat -Indian Ocean and 1 Arabsat); Medarabtel regional microwave radiorelay telephone network (2007)
Dominicageneral assessment: NAdomestic: fully automatic networkinternational: country code - 1-767; landing point for the EastCaribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the BritishVirgin Islands to Trinidad; microwave radio relay and SHFradiotelephone links to Martinique and Guadeloupe; VHF and UHFradiotelephone links to Saint Lucia
Dominican Republicgeneral assessment: relatively efficient systembased on island-wide microwave radio relay networkdomestic: fixed telephone line density is about 10 per 100 persons;multiple providers of mobile cellular service with a subscribershipof roughly 60 per 100 personsinternational: country code - 1-809; landing point for the AmericasRegion Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optictelecommunications submarine cable that provides links to South andCentral America, parts of the Caribbean, and US; satellite earthstation - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Ecuadorgeneral assessment: generally elementary but being expandeddomestic: fixed-line services provided by three state-ownedenterprises; plans to transfer the state-owned operators to privateownership have repeatedly failed; fixed-line density stands at about13 per 100 persons; mobile cellular use has surged and has asubscribership of nearly 75 per 100 personsinternational: country code - 593; landing point for the PAN-AMsubmarine telecommunications cable that provides links to the westcoast of South America, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, and extendingonward to Aruba and the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean;satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Egyptgeneral assessment: large system; underwent extensiveupgrading during 1990s and is reasonably modern; Telecom Egypt, thelandline monopoly, has been increasing service availability and in2007 fixed-line density stood at 14 per 100 persons; as of 2007there were three mobile-cellular networks and service is expandingrapidlydomestic: principal centers at Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah,Ismailia, Suez, and Tanta are connected by coaxial cable andmicrowave radio relayinternational: country code - 20; landing point for both theSEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable networks; linked to theinternational submarine cable FLAG (Fiber-Optic Link Around theGlobe); satellite earth stations - 4 (2 Intelsat - Atlantic Oceanand Indian Ocean, 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat); tropospheric scatterto Sudan; microwave radio relay to Israel; a participant inMedarabtel (2007)
El Salvadorgeneral assessment: multiple mobile-cellular serviceproviders are expanding services rapidly and in 2007 mobile-cellulardensity stood at nearly 90 per 100 persons; growth in fixed-lineservices has slowed in the face of mobile-cellular competitiondomestic: nationwide microwave radio relay systeminternational: country code - 503; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American MicrowaveSystem (2007)
Equatorial Guineageneral assessment: digital fixed-line network inmost major urban areas and good mobile coveragedomestic: fixed-line density is about 2 per 100 persons;mobile-cellular subscribership has been increasing and in 2007 stoodat about 40 percent of the populationinternational: country code - 240; international communications fromBata and Malabo to African and European countries; satellite earthstation - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2007)
Eritreageneral assessment: inadequate; combined fixed-line andmobile cellular subscribership is only about 2 per 100 personsdomestic: inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara; government isseeking international tenders to improve the system (2002)international: country code - 291; note - international connectionsexist
Estoniageneral assessment: foreign investment in the form of jointbusiness ventures greatly improved telephone service; substantialfiber-optic cable systems carry telephone, TV, and radio traffic inthe digital mode; Internet services are widely available; schoolsand libraries are connected to the Internet, a large percentage ofthe population files income-tax returns online, and online votingwas used for the first time in the 2005 local electionsdomestic: a wide range of high quality voice, data, and Internetservices is available throughout the countryinternational: country code - 372; fiber-optic cables to Finland,Sweden, Latvia, and Russia provide worldwide packet-switchedservice; 2 international switches are located in Tallinn (2001)
Ethiopiageneral assessment: inadequate telephone system; the numberof fixed lines and mobile telephones is increasing from a very smallbase; combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity is only about 2per 100 personsdomestic: open-wire; microwave radio relay; radio communication inthe HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; 2 domestic satellites provide thenational trunk serviceinternational: country code - 251; open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti;microwave radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti; satellite earthstations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean)
European Unionnote - see individual country entries of member states
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)general assessment: NAdomestic: government-operated radiotelephone and private VHF/CBradiotelephone networks provide effective service to almost allpoints on both islandsinternational: country code - 500; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) with links through London to othercountries
Faroe Islandsgeneral assessment: good international communications;good domestic facilitiesdomestic: digitalization was completed in 1998; both NMT (analog)and GSM (digital) mobile telephone systems are installedinternational: country code - 298; satellite earth stations - 1Orion; 1 fiber-optic submarine cable to the Shetland Islands,linking the Faroe Islands with Denmark and Iceland; fiber-opticsubmarine cable connection to Canada-Europe cable
Fijigeneral assessment: modern local, interisland, andinternational (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purposetelephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radiocommunications centerdomestic: telephone or radio telephone links to almost all inhabitedislands; most towns and large villages have automatic telephoneexchanges and direct dialing; combined fixed and mobile-cellulardensity is about 60 per 100 personsinternational: country code - 679; access to important cable linksbetween US and Canada as well as between NZ and Australia; satelliteearth stations - 2 Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean) (2007)
Finlandgeneral assessment: modern system with excellent servicedomestic: digital fiber-optic fixed-line network and an extensivecellular network provide domestic needsinternational: country code - 358; submarine cables provide links toEstonia and Sweden; satellite earth stations - access to Intelsattransmission service via a Swedish satellite earth station, 1Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Finland sharesthe Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark,Iceland, Norway, and Sweden)
Francegeneral assessment: highly developeddomestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay; extensiveintroduction of fiber-optic cable; domestic satellite systeminternational: country code - 33; numerous submarine cables providelinks throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and US;satellite earth stations - more than 3 (2 Intelsat (with total of 5antennas - 2 for Indian Ocean and 3 for Atlantic Ocean), NAEutelsat, 1 Inmarsat - Atlantic Ocean region); HF radiotelephonecommunications with more than 20 countriesoverseas departments: country codes: French Guiana - 594; Guadeloupe- 590; Martinique - 596; Reunion - 262
French Polynesiageneral assessment: NAdomestic: NAinternational: country code - 689; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Gabongeneral assessment: adequate service by African standards andimproving with the help of a growing mobile cell network system withmultiple providers; mobile-cellular subscribership reached 80 per100 persons in 2007domestic: adequate system of cable, microwave radio relay,tropospheric scatter, radiotelephone communication stations, and adomestic satellite system with 12 earth stationsinternational: country code - 241; landing point for the SAT-3/WASCfiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe andAsia; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Gambia, Thegeneral assessment: adequate; a packet switched datanetwork is available; two mobile-cellular service providersdomestic: adequate network of microwave radio relay and open-wire;combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity reached 50telephones per 100 persons in 2007international: country code - 220; microwave radio relay links toSenegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat(Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Gaza Stripgeneral assessment: NAdomestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTELare responsible for fixed line services; the Palestinian JAWALcompany provides cellular servicesinternational: country code - 970 (2004)
Georgiageneral assessment: fixed-line telecommunications networkhas only limited coverage outside Tbilisi; multiple mobile-cellularproviders provide services to an increasing subscribershipthroughout the countrydomestic: cellular telephone networks now cover the entire country;urban telephone density is about 20 per 100 people; rural telephonedensity is about 4 per 100 people; intercity facilities include afiber-optic line between T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi; nationwide pagerservice is availableinternational: country code - 995; the Georgia-Russia fiber opticsubmarine cable provides connectivity to Russia; internationalservice is available by microwave, landline, and satellite throughthe Moscow switch; international electronic mail and telex serviceare available
Germanygeneral 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, dating back toWorld War II, has been modernized and integrated with that of thewestern partdomestic: Germany is served by an extensive system of automatictelephone exchanges connected by modern networks of fiber-opticcable, coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, and a domesticsatellite system; cellular telephone service is widely available,expanding rapidly, and includes roaming service to many foreigncountriesinternational: country code - 49; Germany's international service isexcellent worldwide, consisting of extensive land and undersea cablefacilities as well as earth stations in the Inmarsat, Intelsat,Eutelsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems (2001)
Ghanageneral assessment: outdated and unreliable fixed-lineinfrastructure heavily concentrated in Accra; competition amongmultiple mobile-cellular providers has spurred growth withsubscribership about 35 per 100 persons and risingdomestic: primarily microwave radio relay; wireless local loop hasbeen installedinternational: country code - 233; landing point for the SAT-3/WASCfiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe andAsia; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean);microwave radio relay link to Panaftel system connects Ghana to itsneighbors (2007)
Gibraltargeneral assessment: adequate, automatic domestic systemand adequate international facilitiesdomestic: automatic exchange facilitiesinternational: country code - 350; radiotelephone; microwave radiorelay; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Greecegeneral assessment: adequate, modern networks reach allareas; good mobile telephone and international servicedomestic: microwave radio relay trunk system; extensive open-wireconnections; submarine cable to offshore islandsinternational: country code - 30; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides links toEurope, Middle East, and Asia; a number of smaller submarine cablesprovide connectivity to various parts of Europe, the Middle East,and Cyprus; tropospheric scatter; satellite earth stations - 4 (2Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean, 1 Eutelsat, and 1Inmarsat - Indian Ocean region)
Greenlandgeneral assessment: adequate domestic and internationalservice provided by satellite, cables and microwave radio relay;totally digitalized in 1995domestic: microwave radio relay and satelliteinternational: country code - 299; satellite earth stations - 15 (12Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 2 Americom GE-2 (all Atlantic Ocean)) (2000)
Grenadageneral assessment: automatic, islandwide telephone systemdomestic: interisland VHF and UHF radiotelephone linksinternational: country code - 1-473; landing point for the EastCaribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the BritishVirgin Islands to Trinidad; SHF radiotelephone links to Trinidad andTobago and Saint Vincent; VHF and UHF radio links to Trinidad
Guamgeneral assessment: modern system, integrated with USfacilities for direct dialing, including free use of 800 numbersdomestic: modern digital system, including cellular mobile serviceand local access to the Internetinternational: country code - 1-671; major landing point forsubmarine cables between Asia and the US (Guam is a trans-Pacificcommunications hub for major carriers linking the US and Asia);satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Guatemalageneral assessment: fairly modern network centered in thecity of Guatemaladomestic: state-owned telecommunications company privatized in thelate 1990s opening the way for competition; fixed-line teledensity11 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity 80 per 100 personsinternational: country code - 502; landing point for both theAmericas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and the SAM-1 fiberoptic submarine cable system that together provide connectivity toSouth and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US;connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earthstation - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Guernseygeneral assessment: NAdomestic: NAinternational: 1 submarine cable
Guineageneral assessment: inadequate system of open-wire lines,small radiotelephone communication stations, and new microwave radiorelay systemdomestic: Conakry reasonably well served; coverage elsewhere remainsinadequate and large companies tend to rely on their own systems fornationwide links; combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity isabout 2 per 100 personsinternational: country code - 224; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Guinea-Bissaugeneral assessment: small systemdomestic: combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines,radiotelephone, and cellular communications; fixed-line teledensityless than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity reached 20per 100 in 2007international: country code - 245
Guyanageneral assessment: fair system for long-distance servicedomestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines; fixed-lineteledensity is about 15 per 100 persons; many areas still lackfixed-line telephone services; mobile-cellular teledensity reached37 per 100 persons in 2005international: country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to Trinidad;satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Haitigeneral assessment: domestic facilities barely adequate;international facilities slightly better; telephone density in Haitiremains the lowest in the Latin American and Caribbean regiondomestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay trunk service;combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity is about 25 per 100personsinternational: country code - 509; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Holy See (Vatican City)general assessment: automatic digitalexchangedomestic: connected via fiber optic cable to Telecom Italia networkinternational: country code - 39; uses Italian system
Hondurasgeneral assessment: inadequate systemdomestic: beginning in 2003, private sub-operators allowed toprovide fixed-lines in order to expand telephone coverage;fixed-line teledensity has increased to about 10 per 100 persons;mobile-cellular telephone service has been increasing rapidly andsubscribership in 2006 exceeded 30 per 100 personsinternational: country code - 504; landing point for both theAmericas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and the MAYA-1 fiberoptic submarine cable system that together provide connectivity toSouth and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US;satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected toCentral American Microwave System
Hong Konggeneral assessment: modern facilities provide excellentdomestic and international servicesdomestic: microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-opticnetworkinternational: country code - 852; multiple international submarinecables provide connections to Asia, US, Australia, the Middle East,and Western Europe; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 PacificOcean and 2 Indian Ocean); coaxial cable to Guangzhou, China
Hungarygeneral assessment: the telephone system has been modernizedand is capable of satisfying all requests for telecommunicationservicedomestic: the system is digitalized and highly automated; trunkservices are carried by fiber-optic cable and digital microwaveradio relay; a program for fiber-optic subscriber connections wasinitiated in 1996; competition among mobile-cellular serviceproviders has led to a sharp increase in the use of mobile cellularphones since 2000 and a decrease in the number of fixed-lineconnectionsinternational: country code - 36; Hungary has fiber-optic cableconnections with all neighboring countries; the international switchis in Budapest; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Inmarsat, 1 very small apertureterminal (VSAT) system of ground terminals
Icelandgeneral assessment: telecommunications infrastructure ismodern and fully digitized, with satellite-earth stations,fiber-optic cables, and an extensive broadband networkdomestic: liberalization of the telecommunications sector beginningin the late 1990s has led to increased competition especially in themobile services segment of the marketinternational: country code - 354; the CANTAT-3 and FARICE-1submarine cable systems provide connectivity to Canada, the FaroeIslands, UK, Denmark, and Germany; a planned new section of theHibernia-Atlantic submarine cable will provide additionalconnectivity to Canada, US, and Ireland; satellite earth stations -2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Oceanregions); note - Iceland shares the Inmarsat earth station with theother Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden)
Indiageneral assessment: recent deregulation and liberalization oftelecommunications laws and policies have prompted rapid growth;local and long distance service provided throughout all regions ofthe country, with services primarily concentrated in the urbanareas; steady improvement is taking place with the recent admissionof private and private-public investors, but combined fixed andmobile telephone density remains low at about 30 for each 100persons nationwide and much lower for persons in rural areas; rapidgrowth in cellular service with modest declines in fixed linesdomestic: mobile cellular service introduced in 1994 and organizednationwide into four metropolitan areas and 19 telecom circles eachwith about three private service providers and one state-ownedservice provider; in recent years significant trunk capacity addedin the form of fiber-optic cable and one of the world's largestdomestic satellite systems, the Indian National Satellite system(INSAT), with 6 satellites supporting 33,000 very small apertureterminals (VSAT)international: country code - 91; a number of major internationalsubmarine cable systems, including Sea-Me-We-3 with landing sites atCochin and Mumbai (Bombay), Sea-Me-We-4 with a landing site atChennai, Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) with a landingsite at Mumbai (Bombay), South Africa - Far East (SAFE) with alanding site at Cochin, the i2i cable network linking to Singaporewith landing sites at Mumbai (Bombay) and Chennai (Madras), and TataIndicom linking Singapore and Chennai (Madras), provide asignificant increase in the bandwidth available for both voice anddata traffic; satellite earth stations - 8 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region); 9 gateway exchanges operatingfrom Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi, Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai(Madras), Jalandhar, Kanpur, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, and Ernakulam(2008)
Indonesiageneral assessment: domestic service fair, internationalservice gooddomestic: interisland microwave system and HF radio police net;domestic satellite communications system; coverage provided byexisting network has been expanded by use of over 200,000 telephonekiosks many located in remote areas; mobile cellular subscribershipgrowing rapidlyinternational: country code - 62; landing point for both theSEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable networks that providelinks throughout Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earthstations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean)
Irangeneral assessment: currently being modernized and expandedwith the goal of not only improving the efficiency and increasingthe volume of the urban service but also bringing telephone serviceto several thousand villages, not presently connecteddomestic: the addition of new fiber cables and modern switching andexchange systems installed by Iran's state-owned telecom companyhave improved and expanded the main line network greatly; main lineavailability has more than doubled to nearly 24 million lines since2000; additionally, mobile service has increased dramaticallyserving nearly 30 million subscribers in 2007international: country code - 98; submarine fiber-optic cable to UAEwith access to Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG);Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line runs from Azerbaijanthrough the northern portion of Iran to Turkmenistan with expansionto Georgia and Azerbaijan; HF radio and microwave radio relay toTurkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Syria,Kuwait, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; satellite earth stations - 13 (9Intelsat and 4 Inmarsat) (2007)
Iraqgeneral assessment: the 2003 liberation of Iraq severelydisrupted telecommunications throughout Iraq including internationalconnections; widespread government efforts to rebuild domestic andinternational communications through fiber optic links are inprogress; the mobile cellular market has expanded rapidly with anestimated 14 million current users in 2007domestic: repairs to switches and lines destroyed during 2003continue; additional switching capacity is improving access;cellular service is available and centered on 3 GSM networks whichare being expanded beyond their regional roots, improvingcountry-wide connectivity; wireless local loop licenses have beenissued with the hope of overcoming the lack of fixed-lineinfrastructureinternational: country code - 964; satellite earth stations - 4 (2Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean, 1 Intersputnik -Atlantic Ocean region, and 1 Arabsat (inoperative)); local microwaveradio relay connects border regions to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, andTurkey; planned international fiber-optic connections to Iran(terrestrial) with a link to the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe(FLAG) submarine fiber-optic cable (2007)
Irelandgeneral assessment: modern digital system using cable andmicrowave radio relaydomestic: microwave radio relayinternational: country code - 353; landing point for theHibernia-Atlantic submarine cable with links to the US, Canada, andUK; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Isle of Mangeneral assessment: NAdomestic: landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone systeminternational: fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, satelliteearth station, submarine cable
Israelgeneral assessment: most highly developed system in theMiddle East although not the largestdomestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay;all systems are digital; four privately-owned mobile-cellularservice providers with countrywide coverage; mobile-cellularteledensity is 140 per 100 personsinternational: country code - 972; submarine cables provide links toEurope, Cyprus, and parts of the Middle East; satellite earthstations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) (2007)
Italygeneral assessment: modern, well developed, fast; fullyautomated telephone, telex, and data servicesdomestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunksinternational: country code - 39; a series of submarine cablesprovide links to Asia, Middle East, Europe, North Africa, and US;satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (with a total of 5 antennas -3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2 for Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (AtlanticOcean region), and NA Eutelsat