Azerbaijangeneral assessment: requires considerable expansion andmodernization; fixed-line telephony and a broad range of othertelecom services are controlled by a state-owned telecommunicationsmonopoly and growth has been stagnant; more competition exists inthe mobile-cellular market with four providers in 2009domestic: teledensity of 17 fixed lines per 100 persons;mobile-cellular teledensity has increased and is rapidly approaching100 telephones per 100 persons; satellite service connects Baku to amodern switch in its exclave of Nakhchivaninternational: country code - 994; the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE)fiber-optic link transits Azerbaijan providing internationalconnectivity to neighboring countries; the old Soviet system ofcable and microwave is still serviceable; satellite earth stations -2 (2009)
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;introducing digital systems; trunk systems include VHF and UHFmicrowave radio relay links, and some fiber-optic cable in citiesdomestic: fixed-line teledensity remains only about 1 per 100persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscribership has beenincreasing rapidly and now exceeds 30 telephones per 100 personsinternational: 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 (2009)
Barbadosgeneral assessment: island-wide automatic telephone systemdomestic: fixed-line teledensity of roughly 50 per 100 persons;mobile-cellular telephone density approaching 125 per 100 personsinternational: 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(2009)
Belarusgeneral assessment: Belarus lags behind its neighbors inupgrading telecommunications infrastructure; modernization of thenetwork progressing with roughly two-thirds of switching equipmentnow digitaldomestic: state-owned Beltelcom is the sole provider of fixed-linelocal and long distance service; fixed-line teledensity is improvingalthough rural areas continue to be underserved; multiple GSMmobile-cellular networks are experiencing rapid growth;mobile-cellular teledensity reached 100 telephones per 100 personsin 2009international: 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 (2008)
Belgiumgeneral assessment: highly developed, technologicallyadvanced, and completely automated domestic and internationaltelephone and telegraph facilitiesdomestic: nationwide mobile-cellular telephone system; extensivecable network; 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; trunk networkdepends primarily on microwave radio relaydomestic: fixed-line teledensity of 10 per 100 persons;mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 55 per 100 personsinternational: 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) (2008)
Beningeneral assessment: inadequate system of open-wire, microwaveradio relay, and cellular connections; fixed-line networkcharacterized by aging, deteriorating equipmentdomestic: fixed-line teledensity only about 2 per 100 persons;spurred by the presence of multiple mobile-cellular providers,cellular telephone subscribership has been increasing rapidlyinternational: country code - 229; landing point for the SAT-3/WASCfiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe andAsia; long distance fiber-optic links with Togo, Burkina Faso,Niger, and Nigeria; satellite earth stations - 7 (Intelsat-AtlanticOcean) (2008)
Bermudageneral assessment: gooddomestic: fully automatic digital telephone system; fiber optictrunk linesinternational: country code - 1-441; landing points for theGlobeNet, Gemini Bermuda, and the Challenger Bermuda-1(CB-1)submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 (2007)
Bhutangeneral assessment: urban towns and district headquartershave telecommunications servicesdomestic: low teledensity; domestic service is poor especially inrural areas; mobile-cellular service available since 2003international: country code - 975; international telephone andtelegraph service via landline and microwave relay through India;satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (2009)
Boliviageneral assessment: privatization begun in 1995; primarytrunk system, which is being expanded, employs digital microwaveradio relay; some areas are served by fiber-optic cable; overallreliability has steadily improveddomestic: most telephones are concentrated in La Paz and othercities; mobile-cellular telephone use expanding rapidly and, in2009, teledensity reached 75 per 100 persons; fixed-line teledensityis low at less than 10 per 100 personsinternational: country code - 591; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2009)
Bosnia and Herzegovinageneral assessment: post-war reconstructionof the telecommunications network, aided by a internationallysponsored program under EBRD, resulting in sharp increases in thenumber of fixed telephone lines availabledomestic: fixed-line teledensity roughly 22 per 100 persons;mobile-cellular subscribership has been increasing rapidly and, in2009, reached 70 telephones per 100 personsinternational: country code - 387; no satellite earth stations (2009)
Botswanageneral assessment: Botswana is participating in regionaldevelopment efforts; expanding fully digital system with fiber-opticcables linking the major population centers in the east as well as asystem of open-wire lines, microwave radio relays links, andradiotelephone communication stationsdomestic: fixed-line teledensity has declined in recent years andnow stands at roughly 7 telephones per 100 persons; mobile-cellularsubscribership is rapidly approaching a teledensity of 100telephones per 100 personsinternational: 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) (2008)
Brazilgeneral assessment: good working system including anextensive microwave radio relay system and a domestic satellitesystem with 64 earth stations; mobile-cellular usage has more thantripled in the past 5 yearsdomestic: fixed-line connections have remained relatively stable inrecent years and stand at about 20 per 100 persons; less expensivemobile-cellular technology has been a major driver in expandingtelephone service to the lower-income segments of the populationwith mobile-cellular teledensity approaching 90 per 100 persons in2009international: country code - 55; landing point for a number ofsubmarine cables, including Americas-1, Americas-2, Atlantis-2,GlobeNet, South Amrica-1, South American Crossing/Latin AmericanNautilius, and UNISUR that provide direct connectivity to South andCentral America, the Caribbean, the US, Africa, and Europe;satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat(Atlantic Ocean region east), connected by microwave relay system toMercosur Brazilsat B3 satellite earth station (2009)
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: fixed line connections exceed 80 per 100 persons andmobile cellular subscribership is approaching 100 per 100 personsinternational: 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(2008)
Bruneigeneral assessment: service throughout the country is good;international service is good to Southeast Asia, Middle East,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) (2009)
Bulgariageneral assessment: inherited an extensive but antiquatedtelecommunications network from the Soviet era; quality has improvedwith a modern digital trunk line now connecting switching centers inmost of the regions; remaining areas are connected by digitalmicrowave radio relaydomestic: the Bulgaria Telecommunications Company's fixed-linemonopoly terminated in 2005 in an effort to upgrade fixed-lineservices; mobile-cellular teledensity, fostered by multiple serviceproviders, approached 150 telephones per 100 persons in 2009international: 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) (2009)
Burkina Fasogeneral assessment: system includes microwave radiorelay, open-wire, and radiotelephone communication stations; in 2006the government sold a 51 percent stake in the national telephonecompany and ultimately plans to retain only a 23 percent stake inthe companydomestic: fixed-line connections stand at less than 1 per 100persons; mobile-cellular usage, fostered by multiple providers, isincreasing rapidly from a low baseinternational: country code - 226; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2009)
Burmageneral assessment: meets minimum requirements for local andintercity service for business and governmentdomestic: system barely capable of providing basic service;mobile-cellular phone system is grossly underdeveloped with asubscribership base of only 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 (2009)
Burundigeneral assessment: sparse system of open-wire,radiotelephone communications, and low-capacity microwave radiorelaysdomestic: telephone density one of the lowest in the world;fixed-line connections stand at well less than 1 per 100 persons;mobile-cellular usage is increasing but remains at a meager 10 per100 personsinternational: country code - 257; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2009)
Cambodiageneral assessment: adequate fixed-line and/or cellularservice in Phnom Penh and other provincial cities; mobile-cellularphone systems are widely used in urban areas to bypass deficienciesin the fixed-line network; mobile-phone coverage is rapidlyexpanding in rural areasdomestic: fixed-line connections stand at well less than 1 per 100persons; mobile-cellular usage, aided by increasing competitionamong service providers, is increasing and stands at 40 per 100personsinternational: 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) (2009)
Cameroongeneral assessment: system includes cable, microwave radiorelay, and tropospheric scatter; Camtel, the monopoly provider offixed-line service, provides connections for only about 1 per 100persons; equipment is old and outdated, and connections with manyparts of the country are unreliabledomestic: mobile-cellular usage, in part a reflection of the poorcondition and general inadequacy of the fixed-line network, hasincreased sharply, reaching a subscribership base of 40 per 100personsinternational: 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) (2009)
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 points for the MAYA-1,Eastern Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS), and the Cayman-Jamaica FiberSystem submarine cables that provide links to the US and parts ofCentral and South America; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat(Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Central African Republicgeneral assessment: network consistsprincipally of microwave radio relay and low-capacity, low-poweredradiotelephone communicationdomestic: limited telephone service with less than 1 fixed-lineconnection per 100 persons; spurred by the presence of multiplemobile-cellular service providers, cellular usage is increasing froma low base; most fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone servicesare concentrated in Banguiinternational: country code - 236; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008)
Chadgeneral assessment: inadequate system of radiotelephonecommunication stations with high costs and low telephone densitydomestic: fixed-line connections for only about 1 per 1000 personscoupled with mobile-cellular subscribership base of only about 25per 100 personsinternational: country code - 235; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2009)
Chilegeneral assessment: privatization begun in 1988; most advancedtelecommunications infrastructure in South America; modern systembased on extensive microwave radio relay facilities; domesticsatellite system with 3 earth stationsdomestic: number of fixed-line connections have stagnated in recentyears as mobile-cellular usage continues to increase, reaching alevel of 100 telephones per 100 personsinternational: country code - 56; landing points for the PanAmerican, South America-1, and South American Crossing/Latin AmericaNautilius submarine cables providing links to the US and to Centraland South America; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (AtlanticOcean) (2009)
Chinageneral assessment: domestic and international services areincreasingly available for private use; unevenly distributeddomestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, andmany towns; China continues to develop its telecommunicationsinfrastructure, and is partnering with foreign providers to expandits global reach; China in the summer of 2008 began a majorrestructuring of its telecommunications industry, resulting in theconsolidation of its six telecom service operators to three, ChinaTelecom, China Mobile and China Unicom, each providing bothfixed-line and mobile servicesdomestic: interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellulartelephone systems have been installed; mobile-cellularsubscribership is increasing rapidly; the number of Internet usersexceeded 250 million by summer 2008; a domestic satellite systemwith 55 earth 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) (2008)
Christmas Islandgeneral assessment: service provided by theAustralian networkdomestic: GSM mobile-cellular telephone service replaced olderanalog system in 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 with anationwide microwave radio relay system, a domestic satellite systemwith 41 earth stations, and a fiber-optic network linking 50 cities;telecommunications sector liberalized during the 1990s; multipleproviders of both fixed-line and mobile-cellular servicesdomestic: fixed-line connections stand at about 15 per 100 persons;mobile cellular telephone subscribership is about 90 per 100persons; competition among cellular service providers is resultingin falling local and international calling rates and contributing tothe steep decline in the market share of fixed line servicesinternational: country code - 57; landing points for the ARCOS,Colombia-Florida Subsea Fiber (CFX-1), Maya-1, Pan American, and theSouth America-1 submarine cables providing links to the US, parts ofthe Caribbean, and Central and South America; satellite earthstations - 10 (6 Intelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 3 fully digitalizedinternational switching centers) (2009)
Comorosgeneral assessment: sparse system of microwave radio relayand HF radiotelephone communication stationsdomestic: fixed-line connections only about 3 per 100 persons;mobile cellular usage about 15 per 100 personsinternational: country code - 269; HF radiotelephone communicationsto Madagascar and Reunion
Congo, Democratic Republic of the general assessment: barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations; inadequate fixed line infrastructure domestic: state-owned operator providing less than 1 fixed-line connection per 1000 persons; given the backdrop of a wholly inadequate fixed-line infrastructure, the use of mobile-cellular services has surged and subscribership in 2009 exceeded 10 million - roughly 15 per 100 persons international: country code - 243; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2009)
Congo, Republic of thegeneral assessment: primary network consistsof microwave radio relay and coaxial cable with services barelyadequate for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville,Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo; intercity lines frequently out of orderdomestic: fixed-line infrastructure inadequate providing less than 1connection per 100 persons; in the absence of an adequate fixed lineinfrastructure, mobile-cellular subscribership has surged and nowexceeds 50 per 100 personsinternational: country code - 242; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2009)
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; under the terms of CAFTA-DR, thestate-run telecommunications monopoly scheduled to be opened tocompetition from domestic and international firms, has been delayedby the nation's telecommunications regulator.domestic: point-to-point and point-to-multi-point microwave,fiber-optic, and coaxial cable link rural areas; Internet service isavailableinternational: country code - 506; landing points for the AmericasRegion Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1), MAYA-1, and the Pan AmericanCrossing submarine cables that provide links to South and CentralAmerica, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; connected to CentralAmerican Microwave System; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat(Atlantic Ocean) (2009)
Cote d'Ivoiregeneral assessment: well developed by Africanstandards; telecommunications sector privatized in late 1990s andoperational fixed-lines have increased since that time with twofixed-line providers operating over open-wire lines, microwave radiorelay, and fiber-optics; 90% digitalizeddomestic: with multiple mobile-cellular service providers competingin the market, usage has increased sharply to roughly 65 per 100personsinternational: 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) (2009)
Croatiageneral assessment: the telecommunications network hasimproved steadily since the mid-1990s; local lines are digitaldomestic: fixed-line teledensity holding steady at about 40 per 100persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions exceed thepopulationinternational: 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 (2009)
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;national fiber-optic system under development; 95% of switchesdigitized by end of 2006; mobile-cellular telephone service isexpensive and must be paid in convertible pesos, which effectivelylimits subscribershipdomestic: fixed-line density remains low at less than 10 per 100inhabitants; mobile-cellular service expanding but remains less than5 per 100 personsinternational: country code - 53; fiber-optic cable laid to but notlinked to US network; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik(Atlantic Ocean region) (2009)
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; virtually all exchanges now digital; existingcopper subscriber systems enhanced with Asymmetric DigitalSubscriber Line (ADSL) equipment to accommodate Internet and otherdigital signals; trunk systems include fiber-optic cable andmicrowave radio relaydomestic: access to the fixed-line telephone network expandedthroughout the 1990s but the number of fixed line connections hasbeen dropping since then; mobile telephone usage increased sharplybeginning in the mid-1990s and the number of cellular telephonesubscriptions now greatly exceeds the populationinternational: country code - 420; satellite earth stations - 6 (2Intersputnik - Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions, 1 Intelsat, 1Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar) (2009)
Denmarkgeneral assessment: excellent telephone and telegraphservicesdomestic: buried and submarine cables and microwave radio relay formtrunk network, multiple 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 (2008)
Djiboutigeneral assessment: telephone facilities in the city ofDjibouti are adequate, as are the microwave radio relay connectionsto outlying areas of the countrydomestic: Djibouti Telecom is the sole provider oftelecommunications services and utilizes mostly a microwave radiorelay network; fiber-optic cable is installed in the capital; ruralareas connected via wireless local loop radio systems; mobilecellular coverage is primarily limited to the area in and aroundDjibouti 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 (2009)
Dominicageneral assessment: fully automatic networkdomestic: Fixed-line teledensity is roughly 25 per 100 persons;mobile-cellular teledensity approached 150 per 100 persons in 2009international: country code - 1-767; landing points for the EastCaribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) and the Global Caribbean Network(GCN) submarine cables providing connectivity to other islands inthe eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands toTrinidad; microwave radio relay and SHF radiotelephone links toMartinique and Guadeloupe; VHF and UHF radiotelephone links to SaintLucia
Dominican Republicgeneral assessment: relatively efficient systembased on island-wide microwave radio relay networkdomestic: fixed-line teledensity is about 10 per 100 persons;multiple providers of mobile-cellular service with a subscribershipof roughly 75 per 100 personsinternational: country code - 1-809; landing point for the AmericasRegion Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1), Antillas 1, and theFibralink submarine cables that provide links to South and CentralAmerica, parts of the Caribbean, and US; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2009)
Ecuadorgeneral assessment: generally elementary but being expandeddomestic: fixed-line services provided by multipletelecommunications operators; fixed-line teledensity stands at about14 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular use has surged andsubscribership reached about 95 per 100 persons in 2009international: country code - 593; landing points for the PAN-AM andSouth America-1 submarine cables that provide 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) (2009)
Egyptgeneral assessment: underwent extensive upgrading during1990s; principal centers at Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah,Ismailia, Suez, and Tanta are connected by coaxial cable andmicrowave radio relaydomestic: largest fixed-line system in the region; as of 2010 therewere three mobile-cellular networks with a total of more than 55million subscribersinternational: country code - 20; landing point for Aletar, theSEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable networks, Link Aroundthe Globe (FLAG) Falcon and FLAG FEA; satellite earth stations - 4(2 Intelsat - Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean, 1 Arabsat, and 1Inmarsat); tropospheric scatter to Sudan; microwave radio relay toIsrael; a participant in Medarabtel (2009)
El Salvadorgeneral assessment: multiple mobile-cellular providersare expanding services rapidly and in 2009 teledensity exceeded 100per 100 persons; growth in fixed-line services has slowed in theface of mobile-cellular competitiondomestic: nationwide microwave radio relay systeminternational: country code - 503; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American MicrowaveSystem (2009)
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 2009 stoodat about 70 percent of the populationinternational: country code - 240; international communications fromBata and Malabo to African and European countries; satellite earthstation - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2009)
Eritreageneral assessment: inadequate; most telephones are inAsmara; government is seeking international tenders to improve thesystem (2002)domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership isonly about 3 per 100 persons (2009)international: country code - 291; note - international connectionsexist
Estoniageneral assessment: foreign investment in the form of jointbusiness ventures greatly improved telephone service with a widerange of high quality voice, data, and Internet services availabledomestic: substantial fiber-optic cable systems carry telephone, TV,and radio traffic in the digital mode; Internet services are widelyavailable; schools and libraries are connected to the Internet, alarge percentage of the population files income-tax returns online,and online voting was used for the first time in the 2005 localelectionsinternational: country code - 372; fiber-optic cables to Finland,Sweden, Latvia, and Russia provide worldwide packet-switchedservice; 2 international switches are located in Tallinn (2008)
Ethiopiageneral assessment: inadequate telephone system with theEthiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC) maintaining amonopoly over telecommunication services; open-wire, microwave radiorelay; radio communication in the HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; 2domestic satellites provide the national trunk servicedomestic: the number of fixed lines and mobile telephones isincreasing from a small base; combined fixed and mobile-cellularteledensity is only about 5 per 100 personsinternational: 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) (2009)
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: conversion to digital system 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-cellularteledensity is about 80 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) (2009)
Finlandgeneral assessment: modern system with excellent servicedomestic: digital fiber-optic fixed-line network and an extensivemobile-cellular 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; extensive useof 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: combined fixed and mobile-cellular density is roughly 90per 100 personsinternational: country code - 689; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2009)
Gabongeneral assessment: adequate system of cable, microwave radiorelay, tropospheric scatter, radiotelephone communication stations,and a domestic satellite system with 12 earth stationsdomestic: a growing mobile-cellular network with multiple providersis making telephone service more widely available; subscribershipreached 90 per 100 persons in 2009international: 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) (2009)
Gambia, Thegeneral assessment: adequate microwave radio relay andopen-wire network; state-owned Gambia Telecommunications partiallyprivatized in 2007domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity, aidedby multiple mobile-cellular providers, approached 85 per 100 personsin 2009international: country code - 220; microwave radio relay links toSenegal and Guinea-Bissau; a landing station for the Africa Coast toEurope (ACE) undersea fiber-optic cable is scheduled for completionin 2011; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2009)
Gaza Stripgeneral assessment: Gaza continues to repair the damageto its telecommunications infrastructure caused by fighting in 2009domestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTELare responsible for fixed line services; the Palestinian JAWWALcompany provides cellular servicesinternational: country code - 970 (2009)
Georgiageneral assessment: fixed-line telecommunications networkhas only limited coverage outside Tbilisi; long list of peoplewaiting for fixed line connections; multiple mobile-cellularproviders provide services to an increasing subscribershipthroughout the countrydomestic: cellular telephone networks cover the entire country;mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 60 per 100 people; urbanfixed-line telephone density is about 20 per 100 people; ruraltelephone density is about 4 per 100 people; intercity facilitiesinclude a fiber-optic line between T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi;nationwide pager service 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: primarily microwave radio relay; wirelesslocal loop has been installed; outdated and unreliable fixed-lineinfrastructure heavily concentrated in Accradomestic: competition among multiple mobile-cellular providers hasspurred growth with a subscribership of more than 60 per 100 personsand risinginternational: country code - 233; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC,Main One, and GLO-1 fiber-optic submarine cables that provideconnectivity to South Africa, Europe, and Asia; satellite earthstations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); microwave radio relay linkto Panaftel system connects Ghana to its neighbors (2009)
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 digital since 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, island-wide 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: digital system, including mobile-cellular service andlocal 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 teledensityroughly 10 per 100 persons; fixed-line investments are beingconcentrated on improving rural connectivity; mobile-cellularteledensity exceeds 100 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) (2008)
Guernseygeneral assessment: NAdomestic: fixed-line and mobile-cellular services widely available;combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 100 per 100personsinternational: country code - 44; 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; fixed-line teledensity less than 1 per 100persons; mobile-cellular subscribership is expanding and exceeded 50per 100 persons in 2009international: country code - 224; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Guinea-Bissaugeneral assessment: small system including acombination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines,radiotelephone, and mobile-cellular communicationsdomestic: fixed-line teledensity less than 1 per 100 persons;mobile-cellular teledensity reached 35 per 100 in 2009international: country code - 245 (2008)
Guyanageneral assessment: fair system for long-distance service;microwave radio relay network for trunk lines; many areas still lackfixed-line telephone servicesdomestic: fixed-line teledensity is about 15 per 100 persons; ;mobile-cellular teledensity about 35 per 100 persons in 2005international: country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to Trinidad;satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Haitigeneral assessment: telecommunications infrastructure is amongthe least developed in Latin America and the Caribbean; domesticfacilities barely adequate; international facilities slightly betterdomestic: mobile-cellular telephone services are expanding rapidlydue, in part, to the introduction of low-cost GSM phones;mobile-cellular teledensity reached 40 per 100 persons in 2009international: 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: the number of fixed-line connectionsare increasing but still limited; competition among multipleproviders of mobile-cellular services is contributing to a sharpincrease in the number of subscribersdomestic: beginning in 2003, private sub-operators allowed toprovide fixed-lines in order to expand telephone coveragecontributing to an increase in fixed-line teledensity to roughly 10per 100 persons; mobile-cellular subscribership reached 100 per 100persons in 2009international: 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 beenmodernized; the system is digital and highly automated; trunkservices are carried by fiber-optic cable and digital microwaveradio relay; a program for fiber-optic subscriber connections wasinitiated in 1996domestic: competition among mobile-cellular service providers hasled to a sharp increase in the use of mobile-cellular phones since2000 and a decrease in the number of fixed-line connectionsinternational: 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: supported by recent deregulation andliberalization of telecommunications laws and policies, India hasemerged as one of the fastest growing telecom markets in the world;total telephone subscribership base reached 700 million, an overallteledensity of 60%, and subscribership is currently growing morethan 15 million per month; urban teledensity has reached 100% andrural teledensity is about 20% and steadily growingdomestic: mobile cellular service introduced in 1994 and organizednationwide into four metropolitan areas and 19 telecom circles eachwith multiple private service providers and one or more state-ownedservice providers; 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(2010)
Indonesiageneral assessment: domestic service includes aninterisland microwave system, an HF radio police net, and a domesticsatellite communications system; international service gooddomestic: coverage provided by existing network has been expanded byuse of over 200,000 telephone kiosks many located in remote areas;mobile-cellular subscribership growing 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 fixed-line network greatly;fixed-line availability has more than doubled to nearly 26 millionlines since 2000; additionally, mobile-cellular service hasincreased dramatically serving more than 50 million subscribers in2009; combined fixed and mobile-cellular subscribership now exceeds100 per 100 personsinternational: 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) (2009)
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 and itssubscribership base is expected to continue increasing rapidlydomestic: repairs to switches and lines destroyed during 2003continue; additional switching capacity is improving access;mobile-cellular service is available and centered on 3 GSM networkswhich are being expanded beyond their regional roots, improvingcountry-wide connectivity; wireless local loop is available in somemetropolitan areas and additional licenses have been issued with thehope of overcoming the lack of fixed-line infrastructureinternational: 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; international terrestrial fiber-optic connections have beenestablished with Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Kuwait with plannedconnections to Iran and Jordan; a link to the Fiber-Optic LinkAround the Globe (FLAG) submarine fiber-optic cable is planned (2009)
Irelandgeneral assessment: modern digital system using cable andmicrowave radio relaydomestic: system privatized but dominated by former state monopolyoperator; increasing levels of broadband accessinternational: 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: country code - 44; fiber-optic cable, microwave radiorelay, satellite earth 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 coverageinternational: 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) (2008)
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
Jamaicageneral assessment: fully automatic domestic telephonenetworkdomestic: the 1999 agreement to open the market fortelecommunications services resulted in rapid growth inmobile-cellular telephone usage while the number of fixed-lines inuse has declined; combined mobile-cellular teledensity exceeded 110per 100 persons in 2009international: country code - 1-876; the Fibralink submarine cablenetwork provides enhanced delivery of business and broadband trafficand is linked to the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1)submarine cable in the Dominican Republic; the link to ARCOS-1provides seamless connectivity to US, parts of the Caribbean,Central America, and South America; satellite earth stations - 2Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008)
Japangeneral assessment: excellent domestic and internationalservicedomestic: high level of modern technology and excellent service ofevery kindinternational: country code - 81; numerous submarine cables providelinks throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and US;satellite earth stations - 7 Intelsat (Pacific and Indian Oceans), 1Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region), 3 Inmarsat (Pacific and IndianOcean regions), and 8 SkyPerfect JSAT (2008)
Jerseygeneral assessment: state-owned, partially-competitivemarket; increasingly modern, with some broadband accessdomestic: digital telephone system launch announced in 2006 andcurrently being implemented; fixed-line and mobile-cellular serviceswidely available; combined fixed and mobile-cellular density exceeds100 per 100 personsinternational: country code - 44; submarine cable connectivity toGuernsey, the UK, and France (2008)
Jordangeneral assessment: service has improved recently withincreased use of digital switching equipment; microwave radio relaytransmission and coaxial and fiber-optic cable are employed on trunklines; growing mobile-cellular usage in both urban and rural areasis reducing use of fixed-line services; Internet penetration remainsmodest and slow-growingdomestic: 1995 telecommunications law opened all non-fixed-lineservices to private competition; in 2005, monopoly over fixed-lineservices terminated and the entire telecommunications sector wasopened to competition; currently multiple mobile-cellular providerswith subscribership rapidly approaching 100 per 100 personsinternational: country code - 962; landing point for the Fiber-OpticLink Around the Globe (FLAG) FEA and FLAG Falcon submarine cablenetworks; satellite earth stations - 33 (3 Intelsat, 1 Arabsat, and29 land and maritime Inmarsat terminals); fiber-optic cable to SaudiArabia and microwave radio relay link with Egypt and Syria;participant in Medarabtel (2010)
Kazakhstangeneral assessment: inherited an outdatedtelecommunications network from the Soviet era requiringmodernizationdomestic: intercity by landline and microwave radio relay; number offixed-line connections is gradually increasing and fixed-lineteledensity now roughly 25 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage isincreasing and the subscriber base now is roughly 100 per 100 personsinternational: country code - 7; international traffic with otherformer Soviet republics and China carried by landline and microwaveradio relay and with other countries by satellite and by theTrans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable; satellite earth stations- 2 Intelsat (2008)
Kenyageneral assessment: inadequate; fixed-line telephone system issmall and inefficient; trunks are primarily microwave radio relay;business data commonly transferred by a very small aperture terminal(VSAT) systemdomestic: sole fixed-line provider, Telkom Kenya, is slated forprivatization; multiple providers in the mobile-cellular segment ofthe market fostering a boom in mobile-cellular telephone usage withteledensity reaching 50 per 100 persons in 2009international: country code - 254; The East Africa Marine System(TEAMS) and the SEACOM undersea fiber-optic cable systems; satelliteearth stations - 4 Intelsat
Kiribatigeneral assessment: generally good quality national andinternational servicedomestic: wire line service available on Tarawa and Kiritimati(Christmas Island); connections to outer islands by HF/VHFradiotelephone; wireless service available in Tarawa since 1999international: country code - 686; Kiribati is being linked to thePacific Ocean Cooperative Telecommunications Network, which shouldimprove telephone service; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat(Pacific Ocean)
Korea, Northgeneral assessment: adequate system; nationwidefiber-optic network; mobile-cellular service expanding beyondPyongyangdomestic: fiber-optic links installed down to the county level;telephone directories unavailable; mobile-cellular service,initiated in 2002, suspended in 2004; Orascom Telecom, an Egyptiancompany, launched mobile service on December 15, 2008 for thePyongyang area with plans to expand nationwideinternational: country code - 850; satellite earth stations - 2 (1Intelsat - Indian Ocean, 1 Russian - Indian Ocean region); otherinternational connections through Moscow and Beijing (2009)
Korea, Southgeneral assessment: excellent domestic andinternational services featuring rapid incorporation of newtechnologiesdomestic: fixed-line and mobile-cellular services widely availablewith a combined telephone subscribership of roughly 140 per 100persons; rapid assimilation of a full range of telecommunicationstechnologies leading to a boom in e-commerceinternational: country code - 82; numerous submarine cables providelinks throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and US;satellite earth stations - 66
Kuwaitgeneral assessment: the quality of service is excellentdomestic: new telephone exchanges provide a large capacity for newsubscribers; trunk traffic is carried by microwave radio relay,coaxial cable, and open-wire and fiber-optic cable; amobile-cellular telephone system operates throughout Kuwait, and thecountry is well supplied with pay telephonesinternational: country code - 965; linked to international submarinecable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); linked to Bahrain,Qatar, UAE via the Fiber-Optic Gulf (FOG) cable; coaxial cable andmicrowave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; satellite earth stations - 6(3 Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean, 1 Inmarsat -Atlantic Ocean, and 2 Arabsat)
Kyrgyzstangeneral assessment: telecommunications infrastructure isbeing upgraded; loans from the European Bank for Reconstruction andDevelopment (EBRD) are being used to install a digital network,digital radio-relay stations, and fiber-optic linksdomestic: fixed-line penetration remains low and concentrated inurban areas; multiple mobile-cellular service providers with growingcoverage; mobile-cellular subscribership exceeded 80 per 100 personsin 2009international: country code - 996; connections with other CIScountries by landline or microwave radio relay and with othercountries by leased connections with Moscow international gatewayswitch and by satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 (1Intersputnik, 1 Intelsat); connected internationally by theTrans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line
Laosgeneral assessment: service to general public is poor butimproving; the government relies on a radiotelephone network tocommunicate with remote areasdomestic: multiple service providers; mobile cellular usage growingvery rapidlyinternational: country code - 856; satellite earth station - 1Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) and a second to be developed byChina (2008)
Latviageneral assessment: recent efforts focused on bringingcompetition to the telecommunications sector; the number of fixedlines is decreasing as mobile-cellular telephone service expandsdomestic: number of telecommunications operators has grown rapidlysince the fixed-line market opened to competition in 2003; combinedfixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership exceeds 125 per 100personsinternational: country code - 371; the Latvian network is nowconnected via fiber optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden(2008)
Lebanongeneral assessment: repair of the telecommunications system,severely damaged during the civil war, now completedomestic: two mobile-cellular networks provide good service;combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership exceeds 55per 100 personsinternational: country code - 961; submarine cable links to Cyprus,Egypt, and Syria; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 IndianOcean and 1 Atlantic Ocean); coaxial cable to Syria (2009)
Lesothogeneral assessment: rudimentary system consisting of amodest number of landlines, a small microwave radio relay system,and a small radiotelephone communication system; mobile-cellulartelephone system is expandingdomestic: privatized in 2001, Telecom Lesotho was tasked withproviding an additional 50,000 fixed-line connections within fiveyears, a target not met; mobile-cellular service dominates themarket and is expanding with a subscribership exceeding 30 per 100persons in 2009; rural services are scantinternational: country code - 266; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2009)
Liberiageneral assessment: the limited services available are foundalmost exclusively in the capital Monrovia; fixed-line servicestagnant and extremely limited; telephone coverage extended to anumber of other towns and rural areas by four mobile-cellularnetwork operatorsdomestic: mobile-cellular subscription base growing and teledensityreached 25 per 100 persons in 2009international: country code - 231; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2009)