general assessment: good domestic telephone service in
terms of breadth of coverage; under the terms of CAFTA-DR, the
state-run telecommunications monopoly scheduled to be opened to
competition from domestic and international firms, has been delayed
by 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 is
available
international: country code - 506; landing points for the Americas
Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1), MAYA-1, and the Pan American
Crossing submarine cables that provide links to South and Central
America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; connected to Central
American Microwave System; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat
(Atlantic Ocean) (2009)
Cote d'Ivoire
general assessment: well developed by African
standards; telecommunications sector privatized in late 1990s and
operational fixed-lines have increased since that time with two
fixed-line providers operating over open-wire lines, microwave radio
relay, and fiber-optics; 90% digitalized
domestic: with multiple mobile-cellular service providers competing
in the market, usage has increased sharply to roughly 65 per 100
persons
international: country code - 225; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC
fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and
Asia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1
Indian Ocean) (2009)
Croatia
general assessment: the telecommunications network has
improved steadily since the mid-1990s; local lines are digital
domestic: fixed-line teledensity holding steady at about 40 per 100
persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions exceed the
population
international: country code - 385; digital international service is
provided through the main switch in Zagreb; Croatia participates in
the Trans-Asia-Europe (TEL) fiber-optic project, which consists of 2
fiber-optic trunk connections with Slovenia and a fiber-optic trunk
line from Rijeka to Split and Dubrovnik; the ADRIA-1 submarine cable
provides connectivity to Albania and Greece (2009)
Cuba
general assessment: greater investment beginning in 1994 and
the establishment of a new Ministry of Information Technology and
Communications in 2000 has resulted in improvements in the system;
national fiber-optic system under development; 95% of switches
digitized by end of 2006; mobile-cellular telephone service is
expensive and must be paid in convertible pesos, which effectively
limits subscribership
domestic: fixed-line density remains low at less than 10 per 100
inhabitants; mobile-cellular service expanding but remains less than
5 per 100 persons
international: country code - 53; fiber-optic cable laid to but not
linked to US network; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik
(Atlantic Ocean region) (2009)
Cyprus
general assessment: excellent in both area under government
control and area administered by Turkish Cypriots
domestic: open-wire, fiber-optic cable, and microwave radio relay
international: country code - 357 (area administered by Turkish
Cypriots uses the country code of Turkey - 90); a number of
submarine cables, including the SEA-ME-WE-3, combine to provide
connectivity to Western Europe, the Middle East, and Asia;
tropospheric scatter; satellite earth stations - 8 (3 Intelsat - 1
Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean, 2 Eutelsat, 2 Intersputnik, and 1
Arabsat)
Czech Republic
general assessment: privatization and modernization
of the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but is
advancing steadily; virtually all exchanges now digital; existing
copper subscriber 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 relay
domestic: access to the fixed-line telephone network expanded
throughout the 1990s but the number of fixed line connections has
been dropping since then; mobile telephone usage increased sharply
beginning in the mid-1990s and the number of cellular telephone
subscriptions now greatly exceeds the population
international: country code - 420; satellite earth stations - 6 (2
Intersputnik - Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions, 1 Intelsat, 1
Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar) (2009)
Denmark
general assessment: excellent telephone and telegraph
services
domestic: buried and submarine cables and microwave radio relay form
trunk network, multiple cellular mobile communications systems
international: country code - 45; a series of fiber-optic submarine
cables link Denmark with Canada, Faroe Islands, Germany, Iceland,
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and UK; satellite earth
stations - 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 station
and the Eik, Norway, station for worldwide Inmarsat access (2008)
Djibouti
general assessment: telephone facilities in the city of
Djibouti are adequate, as are the microwave radio relay connections
to outlying areas of the country
domestic: Djibouti Telecom is the sole provider of
telecommunications services and utilizes mostly a microwave radio
relay network; fiber-optic cable is installed in the capital; rural
areas connected via wireless local loop radio systems; mobile
cellular coverage is primarily limited to the area in and around
Djibouti city
international: country code - 253; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3
optical telecommunications submarine cable with links to Asia, the
Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2 (1 Intelsat -
Indian Ocean and 1 Arabsat); Medarabtel regional microwave radio
relay telephone network (2009)
Dominica
general assessment: fully automatic network
domestic: Fixed-line teledensity is roughly 25 per 100 persons;
mobile-cellular teledensity approached 150 per 100 persons in 2009
international: country code - 1-767; landing points for the East
Caribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) and the Global Caribbean Network
(GCN) submarine cables providing connectivity to other islands in
the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to
Trinidad; microwave radio relay and SHF radiotelephone links to
Martinique and Guadeloupe; VHF and UHF radiotelephone links to Saint
Lucia
Dominican Republic
general assessment: relatively efficient system
based on island-wide microwave radio relay network
domestic: fixed-line teledensity is about 10 per 100 persons;
multiple providers of mobile-cellular service with a subscribership
of roughly 75 per 100 persons
international: country code - 1-809; landing point for the Americas
Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1), Antillas 1, and the
Fibralink submarine cables that provide links to South and Central
America, parts of the Caribbean, and US; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2009)
Ecuador
general assessment: generally elementary but being expanded
domestic: fixed-line services provided by multiple
telecommunications operators; fixed-line teledensity stands at about
14 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular use has surged and
subscribership reached about 95 per 100 persons in 2009
international: country code - 593; landing points for the PAN-AM and
South America-1 submarine cables that provide links to the west
coast of South America, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, and extending
onward to Aruba and the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2009)
Egypt
general assessment: underwent extensive upgrading during
1990s; principal centers at Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah,
Ismailia, Suez, and Tanta are connected by coaxial cable and
microwave radio relay
domestic: largest fixed-line system in the region; as of 2010 there
were three mobile-cellular networks with a total of more than 55
million subscribers
international: country code - 20; landing point for Aletar, the
SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable networks, Link Around
the Globe (FLAG) Falcon and FLAG FEA; satellite earth stations - 4
(2 Intelsat - Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean, 1 Arabsat, and 1
Inmarsat); tropospheric scatter to Sudan; microwave radio relay to
Israel; a participant in Medarabtel (2009)
El Salvador
general assessment: multiple mobile-cellular providers
are expanding services rapidly and in 2009 teledensity exceeded 100
per 100 persons; growth in fixed-line services has slowed in the
face of mobile-cellular competition
domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system
international: country code - 503; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave
System (2009)
Equatorial Guinea
general assessment: digital fixed-line network in
most major urban areas and good mobile coverage
domestic: fixed-line density is about 2 per 100 persons;
mobile-cellular subscribership has been increasing and in 2009 stood
at about 70 percent of the population
international: country code - 240; international communications from
Bata and Malabo to African and European countries; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2009)
Eritrea
general assessment: inadequate; most telephones are in
Asmara; government is seeking international tenders to improve the
system (2002)
domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership is
only about 3 per 100 persons (2009)
international: country code - 291; note - international connections
exist
Estonia
general assessment: foreign investment in the form of joint
business ventures greatly improved telephone service with a wide
range of high quality voice, data, and Internet services available
domestic: substantial fiber-optic cable systems carry telephone, TV,
and radio traffic in the digital mode; Internet services are widely
available; schools and libraries are connected to the Internet, a
large percentage of the population files income-tax returns online,
and online voting was used for the first time in the 2005 local
elections
international: country code - 372; fiber-optic cables to Finland,
Sweden, Latvia, and Russia provide worldwide packet-switched
service; 2 international switches are located in Tallinn (2008)
Ethiopia
general assessment: inadequate telephone system with the
Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC) maintaining a
monopoly over telecommunication services; open-wire, microwave radio
relay; radio communication in the HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; 2
domestic satellites provide the national trunk service
domestic: the number of fixed lines and mobile telephones is
increasing from a small base; combined fixed and mobile-cellular
teledensity is only about 5 per 100 persons
international: country code - 251; open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti;
microwave radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti; satellite earth
stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean) (2009)
European Union
note - see individual country entries of member states
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
general assessment: NA
domestic: government-operated radiotelephone and private VHF/CB
radiotelephone networks provide effective service to almost all
points on both islands
international: country code - 500; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) with links through London to other
countries
Faroe Islands
general assessment: good international communications;
good domestic facilities
domestic: conversion to digital system completed in 1998; both NMT
(analog) and GSM (digital) mobile telephone systems are installed
international: country code - 298; satellite earth stations - 1
Orion; 1 fiber-optic submarine cable to the Shetland Islands,
linking the Faroe Islands with Denmark and Iceland; fiber-optic
submarine cable connection to Canada-Europe cable
Fiji
general assessment: modern local, interisland, and
international (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purpose
telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radio
communications center
domestic: telephone or radio telephone links to almost all inhabited
islands; most towns and large villages have automatic telephone
exchanges and direct dialing; combined fixed and mobile-cellular
teledensity is about 80 per 100 persons
international: country code - 679; access to important cable links
between US and Canada as well as between NZ and Australia; satellite
earth stations - 2 Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean) (2009)
Finland
general assessment: modern system with excellent service
domestic: digital fiber-optic fixed-line network and an extensive
mobile-cellular network provide domestic needs
international: country code - 358; submarine cables provide links to
Estonia and Sweden; satellite earth stations - access to Intelsat
transmission service via a Swedish satellite earth station, 1
Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Finland shares
the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark,
Iceland, Norway, and Sweden)
France
general assessment: highly developed
domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay; extensive use
of fiber-optic cable; domestic satellite system
international: country code - 33; numerous submarine cables provide
links throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and US;
satellite earth stations - more than 3 (2 Intelsat (with total of 5
antennas - 2 for Indian Ocean and 3 for Atlantic Ocean), NA
Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat - Atlantic Ocean region); HF radiotelephone
communications with more than 20 countries
overseas departments: country codes: French Guiana - 594; Guadeloupe
- 590; Martinique - 596; Reunion - 262
French Polynesia
general assessment: NA
domestic: combined fixed and mobile-cellular density is roughly 90
per 100 persons
international: country code - 689; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2009)
Gabon
general assessment: adequate system of cable, microwave radio
relay, tropospheric scatter, radiotelephone communication stations,
and a domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations
domestic: a growing mobile-cellular network with multiple providers
is making telephone service more widely available; subscribership
reached 90 per 100 persons in 2009
international: country code - 241; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC
fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and
Asia; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2009)
Gambia, The
general assessment: adequate microwave radio relay and
open-wire network; state-owned Gambia Telecommunications partially
privatized in 2007
domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity, aided
by multiple mobile-cellular providers, approached 85 per 100 persons
in 2009
international: country code - 220; microwave radio relay links to
Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; a landing station for the Africa Coast to
Europe (ACE) undersea fiber-optic cable is scheduled for completion
in 2011; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2009)
Gaza Strip
general assessment: Gaza continues to repair the damage
to its telecommunications infrastructure caused by fighting in 2009
domestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL
are responsible for fixed line services; the Palestinian JAWWAL
company provides cellular services
international: country code - 970 (2009)
Georgia
general assessment: fixed-line telecommunications network
has only limited coverage outside Tbilisi; long list of people
waiting for fixed line connections; multiple mobile-cellular
providers provide services to an increasing subscribership
throughout the country
domestic: cellular telephone networks cover the entire country;
mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 60 per 100 people; urban
fixed-line telephone density is about 20 per 100 people; rural
telephone density is about 4 per 100 people; intercity facilities
include a fiber-optic line between T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi;
nationwide pager service is available
international: country code - 995; the Georgia-Russia fiber optic
submarine cable provides connectivity to Russia; international
service is available by microwave, landline, and satellite through
the Moscow switch; international electronic mail and telex service
are available
Germany
general assessment: Germany has one of the world's most
technologically advanced telecommunications systems; as a result of
intensive capital expenditures since reunification, the formerly
backward system of the eastern part of the country, dating back to
World War II, has been modernized and integrated with that of the
western part
domestic: Germany is served by an extensive system of automatic
telephone exchanges connected by modern networks of fiber-optic
cable, coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, and a domestic
satellite system; cellular telephone service is widely available,
expanding rapidly, and includes roaming service to many foreign
countries
international: country code - 49; Germany's international service is
excellent worldwide, consisting of extensive land and undersea cable
facilities as well as earth stations in the Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Eutelsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems (2001)
Ghana
general assessment: primarily microwave radio relay; wireless
local loop has been installed; outdated and unreliable fixed-line
infrastructure heavily concentrated in Accra
domestic: competition among multiple mobile-cellular providers has
spurred growth with a subscribership of more than 60 per 100 persons
and rising
international: country code - 233; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC,
Main One, and GLO-1 fiber-optic submarine cables that provide
connectivity to South Africa, Europe, and Asia; satellite earth
stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); microwave radio relay link
to Panaftel system connects Ghana to its neighbors (2009)
Gibraltar
general assessment: adequate, automatic domestic system
and adequate international facilities
domestic: automatic exchange facilities
international: country code - 350; radiotelephone; microwave radio
relay; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Greece
general assessment: adequate, modern networks reach all
areas; good mobile telephone and international service
domestic: microwave radio relay trunk system; extensive open-wire
connections; submarine cable to offshore islands
international: country code - 30; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3
optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to
Europe, Middle East, and Asia; a number of smaller submarine cables
provide connectivity to various parts of Europe, the Middle East,
and Cyprus; tropospheric scatter; satellite earth stations - 4 (2
Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean, 1 Eutelsat, and 1
Inmarsat - Indian Ocean region)
Greenland
general assessment: adequate domestic and international
service provided by satellite, cables and microwave radio relay;
totally digital since 1995
domestic: microwave radio relay and satellite
international: country code - 299; satellite earth stations - 15 (12
Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 2 Americom GE-2 (all Atlantic Ocean)) (2000)
Grenada
general assessment: automatic, island-wide telephone system
domestic: interisland VHF and UHF radiotelephone links
international: country code - 1-473; landing point for the East
Caribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13
other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British
Virgin Islands to Trinidad; SHF radiotelephone links to Trinidad and
Tobago and Saint Vincent; VHF and UHF radio links to Trinidad
Guam
general assessment: modern system, integrated with US
facilities for direct dialing, including free use of 800 numbers
domestic: digital system, including mobile-cellular service and
local access to the Internet
international: country code - 1-671; major landing point for
submarine cables between Asia and the US (Guam is a trans-Pacific
communications hub for major carriers linking the US and Asia);
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Guatemala
general assessment: fairly modern network centered in the
city of Guatemala
domestic: state-owned telecommunications company privatized in the
late 1990s opening the way for competition; fixed-line teledensity
roughly 10 per 100 persons; fixed-line investments are being
concentrated on improving rural connectivity; mobile-cellular
teledensity exceeds 100 per 100 persons
international: country code - 502; landing point for both the
Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and the SAM-1 fiber
optic submarine cable system that together provide connectivity to
South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US;
connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008)
Guernsey
general assessment: NA
domestic: fixed-line and mobile-cellular services widely available;
combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 100 per 100
persons
international: country code - 44; 1 submarine cable
Guinea
general assessment: inadequate system of open-wire lines,
small radiotelephone communication stations, and new microwave radio
relay system
domestic: Conakry reasonably well served; coverage elsewhere remains
inadequate and large companies tend to rely on their own systems for
nationwide links; fixed-line teledensity less than 1 per 100
persons; mobile-cellular subscribership is expanding and exceeded 50
per 100 persons in 2009
international: country code - 224; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Guinea-Bissau
general assessment: small system including a
combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines,
radiotelephone, and mobile-cellular communications
domestic: fixed-line teledensity less than 1 per 100 persons;
mobile-cellular teledensity reached 35 per 100 in 2009
international: country code - 245 (2008)
Guyana
general assessment: fair system for long-distance service;
microwave radio relay network for trunk lines; many areas still lack
fixed-line telephone services
domestic: fixed-line teledensity is about 15 per 100 persons; ;
mobile-cellular teledensity about 35 per 100 persons in 2005
international: country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to Trinidad;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Haiti
general assessment: telecommunications infrastructure is among
the least developed in Latin America and the Caribbean; domestic
facilities barely adequate; international facilities slightly better
domestic: mobile-cellular telephone services are expanding rapidly
due, in part, to the introduction of low-cost GSM phones;
mobile-cellular teledensity reached 40 per 100 persons in 2009
international: country code - 509; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Holy See (Vatican City)
general assessment: automatic digital
exchange
domestic: connected via fiber optic cable to Telecom Italia network
international: country code - 39; uses Italian system