general assessment: the telephone system has been modernized
and is capable of satisfying all requests for telecommunication
service
domestic: the system is digitalized and highly automated; trunk
services are carried by fiber-optic cable and digital microwave
radio relay; a program for fiber-optic subscriber connections was
initiated in 1996; competition among mobile-cellular service
providers has led to a sharp increase in the use of mobile cellular
phones since 2000 and a decrease in the number of fixed-line
connections
international: country code - 36; Hungary has fiber-optic cable
connections with all neighboring countries; the international switch
is in Budapest; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Inmarsat, 1 very small aperture
terminal (VSAT) system of ground terminals
Iceland
general assessment: telecommunications infrastructure is
modern and fully digitized, with satellite-earth stations,
fiber-optic cables, and an extensive broadband network
domestic: liberalization of the telecommunications sector beginning
in the late 1990s has led to increased competition especially in the
mobile services segment of the market
international: country code - 354; the CANTAT-3 and FARICE-1
submarine cable systems provide connectivity to Canada, the Faroe
Islands, UK, Denmark, and Germany; a planned new section of the
Hibernia-Atlantic submarine cable will provide additional
connectivity to Canada, US, and Ireland; satellite earth stations -
2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean
regions); note - Iceland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the
other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden)
India
general assessment: recent deregulation and liberalization of
telecommunications laws and policies have prompted rapid growth;
local and long distance service provided throughout all regions of
the country, with services primarily concentrated in the urban
areas; steady improvement is taking place with the recent admission
of private and private-public investors, but combined fixed and
mobile telephone density remains low at about 30 for each 100
persons nationwide and much lower for persons in rural areas; rapid
growth in cellular service with modest declines in fixed lines
domestic: mobile cellular service introduced in 1994 and organized
nationwide into four metropolitan areas and 19 telecom circles each
with about three private service providers and one state-owned
service provider; in recent years significant trunk capacity added
in the form of fiber-optic cable and one of the world's largest
domestic satellite systems, the Indian National Satellite system
(INSAT), with 6 satellites supporting 33,000 very small aperture
terminals (VSAT)
international: country code - 91; a number of major international
submarine cable systems, including Sea-Me-We-3 with landing sites at
Cochin and Mumbai (Bombay), Sea-Me-We-4 with a landing site at
Chennai, Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) with a landing
site at Mumbai (Bombay), South Africa - Far East (SAFE) with a
landing site at Cochin, the i2i cable network linking to Singapore
with landing sites at Mumbai (Bombay) and Chennai (Madras), and Tata
Indicom linking Singapore and Chennai (Madras), provide a
significant increase in the bandwidth available for both voice and
data traffic; satellite earth stations - 8 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region); 9 gateway exchanges operating
from Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi, Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai
(Madras), Jalandhar, Kanpur, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, and Ernakulam
(2008)
Indonesia
general assessment: domestic service fair, international
service good
domestic: interisland microwave system and HF radio police net;
domestic satellite communications system; coverage provided by
existing network has been expanded by use of over 200,000 telephone
kiosks many located in remote areas; mobile cellular subscribership
growing rapidly
international: country code - 62; landing point for both the
SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable networks that provide
links throughout Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth
stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean)
Iran
general assessment: currently being modernized and expanded
with the goal of not only improving the efficiency and increasing
the volume of the urban service but also bringing telephone service
to several thousand villages, not presently connected
domestic: the addition of new fiber cables and modern switching and
exchange systems installed by Iran's state-owned telecom company
have improved and expanded the main line network greatly; main line
availability has more than doubled to nearly 24 million lines since
2000; additionally, mobile service has increased dramatically
serving nearly 30 million subscribers in 2007
international: country code - 98; submarine fiber-optic cable to UAE
with access to Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG);
Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line runs from Azerbaijan
through the northern portion of Iran to Turkmenistan with expansion
to Georgia and Azerbaijan; HF radio and microwave radio relay to
Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Syria,
Kuwait, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; satellite earth stations - 13 (9
Intelsat and 4 Inmarsat) (2007)
Iraq
general assessment: the 2003 liberation of Iraq severely
disrupted telecommunications throughout Iraq including international
connections; widespread government efforts to rebuild domestic and
international communications through fiber optic links are in
progress; the mobile cellular market has expanded rapidly with an
estimated 14 million current users in 2007
domestic: repairs to switches and lines destroyed during 2003
continue; additional switching capacity is improving access;
cellular service is available and centered on 3 GSM networks which
are being expanded beyond their regional roots, improving
country-wide connectivity; wireless local loop licenses have been
issued with the hope of overcoming the lack of fixed-line
infrastructure
international: country code - 964; satellite earth stations - 4 (2
Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean, 1 Intersputnik -
Atlantic Ocean region, and 1 Arabsat (inoperative)); local microwave
radio relay connects border regions to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and
Turkey; 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)
Ireland
general assessment: modern digital system using cable and
microwave radio relay
domestic: microwave radio relay
international: country code - 353; landing point for the
Hibernia-Atlantic submarine cable with links to the US, Canada, and
UK; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Isle of Man
general assessment: NA
domestic: landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone system
international: fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, satellite
earth station, submarine cable
Israel
general assessment: most highly developed system in the
Middle East although not the largest
domestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay;
all systems are digital; four privately-owned mobile-cellular
service providers with countrywide coverage; mobile-cellular
teledensity is 140 per 100 persons
international: country code - 972; submarine cables provide links to
Europe, Cyprus, and parts of the Middle East; satellite earth
stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) (2007)
Italy
general assessment: modern, well developed, fast; fully
automated telephone, telex, and data services
domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks
international: country code - 39; a series of submarine cables
provide 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 (Atlantic
Ocean region), and NA Eutelsat
Jamaica
general assessment: fully automatic domestic telephone
network
domestic: the 1999 agreement to open the market for
telecommunications services resulted in rapid growth in
mobile-cellular telephone usage while the number of fixed-lines in
use has declined; combined mobile-cellular teledensity now exceeds
100 per 100 persons
international: country code - 1-876; the Fibralink submarine cable
network provides enhanced delivery of business and broadband traffic
and is linked to the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1)
submarine cable in the Dominican Republic; the link to ARCOS-1
provides seamless connectivity to US, parts of the Caribbean,
Central America, and South America; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2006)
Japan
general assessment: excellent domestic and international
service
domestic: high level of modern technology and excellent service of
every kind
international: country code - 81; numerous submarine cables provide
links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and US;
satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian
Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region), and 1 Inmarsat
(Pacific and Indian Ocean regions
Jersey
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: submarine cable connectivity to Guernsey and UK
Jordan
general assessment: service has improved recently with
increased use of digital switching equipment; microwave radio relay
transmission and coaxial and fiber-optic cable are employed on trunk
lines; growing mobile-cellular usage in both urban and rural areas
is reducing use of fixed-line services; Internet penetration remains
modest and slow-growing
domestic: 1995 telecommunications law opened all non-fixed-line
services to private competition; in 2005, monopoly over fixed-line
services terminated and the entire telecommunications sector was
opened to competition; mobile-cellular usage is increasing rapidly
and teledensity reached 80 per 100 persons in 2007
international: country code - 962; landing point for the Fiber-Optic
Link Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine cable network that provides
links to Asia, Middle East, Europe; satellite earth stations - 33 (3
Intelsat, 1 Arabsat, and 29 land and maritime Inmarsat terminals);
fiber-optic cable to Saudi Arabia and microwave radio relay link
with Egypt and Syria; participant in Medarabtel (2007)
Kazakhstan
general assessment: inherited an outdated
telecommunications network from the Soviet era requiring
modernization
domestic: intercity by landline and microwave radio relay; number of
fixed-line connections is gradually increasing and fixed-line
teledensity is about 20 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage is
increasing rapidly and subscriptions now exceed 80 per 100 persons
international: country code - 7; international traffic with other
former Soviet republics and China carried by landline and microwave
radio relay and with other countries by satellite and by the
Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable; satellite earth stations
- 2 Intelsat (2007)
Kenya
general assessment: inadequate; fixed-line telephone system is
small and inefficient; trunks are primarily microwave radio relay;
business data commonly transferred by a very small aperture terminal
(VSAT) system
domestic: no recent growth in fixed-line infrastructure and the sole
provider, Telkom Kenya, is slated for privatization; multiple
providers in the mobile-cellular segment of the market fostering a
boom in mobile-cellular telephone usage
international: country code - 254; satellite earth stations - 4
Intelsat
Kiribati
general assessment: generally good quality national and
international service
domestic: wire line service available on Tarawa and Kiritimati
(Christmas Island); connections to outer islands by HF/VHF
radiotelephone; wireless service available in Tarawa since 1999
international: country code - 686; Kiribati is being linked to the
Pacific Ocean Cooperative Telecommunications Network, which should
improve telephone service; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Pacific Ocean)
Korea, North
general assessment: inadequate system; currently no
mobile cellular telephone services
domestic: fiber-optic links installed between cities; telephone
directories unavailable; mobile cellular service, initiated in 2002,
terminated in 2004; in January 2008 Orascom Telecom, an Egyptian
company, announced that it had been granted a commercial license to
provide mobile telephone services in North Korea
international: country code - 850; satellite earth stations - 2 (1
Intelsat - Indian Ocean, 1 Russian - Indian Ocean region); other
international connections through Moscow and Beijing (2008)
Korea, South
general assessment: excellent domestic and
international services featuring rapid incorporation of new
technologies
domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone
subscribership exceeds 140 per 100 persons; rapid assimilation of a
full range of telecommunications technologies leading to a boom in
e-commerce
international: country code - 82; numerous submarine cables provide
links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and US;
satellite earth stations - 6 (3 Intelsat - 1 Pacific Ocean and 2
Indian Ocean; 3 Inmarsat - 1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean)
Kuwait
general assessment: the quality of service is excellent
domestic: new telephone exchanges provide a large capacity for new
subscribers; trunk traffic is carried by microwave radio relay,
coaxial cable, and open-wire and fiber-optic cable; a cellular
telephone system operates throughout Kuwait, and the country is well
supplied with pay telephones
international: country code - 965; linked to international submarine
cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); linked to Bahrain,
Qatar, UAE via the Fiber-Optic Gulf (FOG) cable; coaxial cable and
microwave 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)
Kyrgyzstan
general assessment: telecommunications infrastructure is
growing; fixed line penetration remains low and concentrated in
urban areas
domestic: multiple mobile cellular service providers with growing
coverage; mobile cellular subscribership reached 40 per 100 persons
in 2007
international: country code - 996; connections with other CIS
countries by landline or microwave radio relay and with other
countries by leased connections with Moscow international gateway
switch and by satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 (1
Intersputnik, 1 Intelsat); connected internationally by the
Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line (2007)
Laos
general assessment: service to general public is poor but
improving; the government relies on a radiotelephone network to
communicate with remote areas
domestic: multiple service providers; mobile cellular usage growing
rapidly; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership
about 25 per 100 persons
international: country code - 856; satellite earth station - 1
Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) (2007)
Latvia
general assessment: recent efforts focused on bringing
competition to the telecommunications sector; the number of fixed
lines is decreasing as wireless telephone service expands
domestic: number of telecommunications operators has grown rapidly
since the fixed-line market opened to competition in 2003; combined
fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership is roughly 125 per 100
persons
international: country code - 371; the Latvian network is now
connected via fiber optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden
(2007)
Lebanon
general assessment: repair of the telecommunications system,
severely damaged during the civil war, now complete
domestic: two wireless networks provide good service; political
instability hampers privatization and deployment of new
technologies; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership
50 per 100 persons
international: country code - 961; submarine cable link to Cyprus;
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic
Ocean); coaxial cable to Syria (2007)
Lesotho
general assessment: rudimentary system consisting of a
modest but growing number of landlines, a small microwave radio
relay system, and a small radiotelephone communication system;
mobile-cellular telephone system is expanding
domestic: privatized in 2001, Telecom Lesotho tasked with providing
an additional 50,000 fixed-line connections within five years, a
target not met; mobile-cellular service is expanding with a
subscribership approaching 25 per 100 persons; rural services are
scant
international: country code - 266; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Liberia
general assessment: the limited services available are found
almost exclusively in the capital Monrovia; coverage extended to a
number of other towns and rural areas by four mobile-cellular
network operators
domestic: fixed line service stagnant and extremely limited;
mobile-cellular subscription base growing and teledensity
approaching 20 per 100 persons
international: country code - 231; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Libya
general assessment: telecommunications system is being
modernized; mobile cellular telephone system became operational in
1996; combined fixed line and mobile telephone density approached 90
telephones per 100 persons in 2007
domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, cellular,
tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth
stations
international: country code - 218; satellite earth stations - 4
Intelsat, NA Arabsat, and NA Intersputnik; submarine cables to
France and Italy; microwave radio relay to Tunisia and Egypt;
tropospheric scatter to Greece; participant in Medarabtel (2007)
Liechtenstein
general assessment: automatic telephone system
domestic: NA
international: country code - 423; linked to Swiss networks by cable
and microwave radio relay
Lithuania
general assessment: adequate; being modernized to provide
improved international capability and better residential access
domestic: rapid expansion of mobile-cellular services has resulted
in a steady decline in the number of main line subscriptions;
mobile-cellular teledensity has increased to about 135 per 100
persons while fixed-line teledensity has dropped to 22 per 100
persons
international: country code - 370; major international connections
to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway by submarine cable for further
transmission by satellite; landline connections to Latvia and Poland
(2007)
Luxembourg
general assessment: highly developed, completely
automated and efficient system, mainly buried cables
domestic: fixed line teledensity over 50 per 100 persons; nationwide
cellular telephone system with market for mobile-cellular phones
virtually saturated
international: country code - 352 (2007)
Macau
general assessment: fairly modern communication facilities
maintained for domestic and international services
domestic: termination of monopoly over mobile-cellular telephone
services in 2001 spurred sharp increase in subscriptions with
mobile-cellular teledensity approaching 190 per 100 persons in 2008;
fixed-line subscribership appears to have peaked and is now in
decline
international: country code - 853; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3
submarine cable network that provides links to Asia, the Middle
East, and Europe; HF radiotelephone communication facility;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2008)
Macedonia
general assessment: competition from the mobile-cellular
segment of the telecommunications market has led to a drop in
fixed-line telephone subscriptions
domestic: combined fixed line and mobile telephone density
approaching 100 per 100 persons
international: country code - 389 (2007)
Madagascar
general assessment: system is above average for the
region; Antananarivo's main telephone exchange modernized in the
late 1990s, but the rest of the analogue-based telephone system is
poorly developed; have added more than 50,000 new fixed lines since
2005
domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile telephone density only
about 12 per 100 persons
international: country code - 261; submarine cable to Bahrain;
satellite earth stations - 2 (1 Intelsat - Indian Ocean, 1
Intersputnik - Atlantic Ocean region) (2007)
Malawi
general assessment: rudimentary
domestic: fixed-line subscribership about 1 per 100 persons;
privatization of Malawi Telecommunications (MTL), a necessary step
in bringing improvement to telecommunications services, completed in
2006; mobile-cellular services are expanding but cellular network
coverage is limited and is based around the main urban areas; mobile
cellular subscribership roughly 8 per 100 persons
international: country code - 265; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean, 1 Atlantic Ocean)
Malaysia
general assessment: modern system; international service
excellent
domestic: good intercity service provided on Peninsular Malaysia
mainly by microwave radio relay; adequate intercity microwave radio
relay network between Sabah and Sarawak via Brunei; domestic
satellite system with 2 earth stations; combined fixed-line and
mobile cellular teledensity exceeds 110 per 100 persons
international: country code - 60; landing point for several major
international submarine cable networks that provide connectivity to
Asia, Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat
(1 Indian Ocean, 1 Pacific Ocean) (2007)
Maldives
general assessment: telephone services have improved; each
island now has at least 1 public telephone, and there are mobile
cellular networks with a rapidly expanding subscribership
approaching 90 per 100 persons
domestic: interatoll communication through microwave links; all
inhabited islands and resorts are connected with telephone and fax
service
international: country code - 960; linked to international submarine
cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); satellite earth
station - 3 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2007)
Mali
general assessment: domestic system unreliable but improving;
provides only minimal service
domestic: fixed-line availability is gradually increasing, but
subscribership remains less than 1 per 100 persons; increasing use
of local radio loops to extend network coverage to remote areas;
mobile-cellular subscribership has increased sharply to 20 per 100
persons
international: country code - 223; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean, 1 Indian Ocean) (2007)
Malta
general assessment: automatic system satisfies normal
requirements; fixed-line teledensity 50 per 100 persons;
mobile-cellular teledensity about 90 per 100 persons
domestic: submarine cable and microwave radio relay between islands
international: country code - 356; submarine cable connects to
Italy; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Marshall Islands
general assessment: digital switching equipment;
modern services include telex, cellular, Internet, international
calling, caller ID, and leased data circuits
domestic: Majuro Atoll and Ebeye and Kwajalein islands have regular,
seven-digit, direct-dial telephones; other islands interconnected by
high frequency radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes)
and mini-satellite telephones
international: country code - 692; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); US Government satellite communications
system on Kwajalein (2005)