Country ranking for telephone system 1998

This entry includes a brief general assessment of the system with details on the domestic and international components. The following terms and abbreviations are used throughout the entry:|Arabsat - Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia).|Autodin - Automatic Digital Network (US Department of Defense).|CB - citizen's band mobile radio communications.|Cellular telephone system - the telephones in this system are radio transceivers, with each instrument having its own private radio frequency and sufficient radiated power to reach the booster station in its area (cell), from which the telephone signal is fed to a telephone exchange.|Central American Microwave System - a trunk microwave radio relay system that links the countries of Central America and Mexico with each other.|Coaxial cable - a multichannel communication cable consisting of a central conducting wire, surrounded by and insulated from a cylindrical conducting shell; a large number of telephone channels can be made available within the insulated space by the use of a large number of carrier frequencies.|Comsat - Communications Satellite Corporation (US).|DSN - Defense Switched Network (formerly Automatic Voice Network or Autovon); basic general-purpose, switched voice network of the Defense Communications System (US Department of Defense).|Eutelsat - European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Paris).|Fiber-optic cable - a multichannel communications cable using a thread of optical glass fibers as a transmission medium in which the signal (voice, video, etc.) is in the form of a coded pulse of light.|GSM - a global system for mobile (cellular) communications devised by the Groupe Special Mobile of the pan-European standardization organization, Conference Europeanne des Posts et Telecommunications (CEPT) in 1982.|HF - high frequency; any radio frequency in the 3,000- to 30,000-kHz range.|Inmarsat - International Maritime Satellite Organization (London); provider of global mobile satellite communications for commercial, distress, and safety applications at sea, in the air, and on land.|Intelsat - International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Washington, DC).|Intersputnik - International Organization of Space Communications (Moscow); first established in the former Soviet Union and the East European countries, it is now marketing its services worldwide with earth stations in North America, Africa, and East Asia.|Landline - communication wire or cable of any sort that is installed on poles or buried in the ground.|Marecs - Maritime European Communications Satellite used in the Inmarsat system on lease from the European Space Agency.|Marisat - satellites of the Comsat Corporation that participate in the Inmarsat system.|Medarabtel - the Middle East Telecommunications Project of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) providing a modern telecommunications network, primarily by microwave radio relay, linking Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen; it was initially started in Morocco in 1970 by the Arab Telecommunications Union (ATU) and was known at that time as the Middle East Mediterranean Telecommunications Network.|Microwave radio relay - transmission of long distance telephone calls and television programs by highly directional radio microwaves that are received and sent on from one booster station to another on an optical path.|NMT - Nordic Mobile Telephone; an analog cellular telephone system that was developed jointly by the national telecommunications authorities of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden).|Orbita - a Russian television service; also the trade name of a packet-switched digital telephone network.|Radiotelephone communications - the two-way transmission and reception of sounds by broadcast radio on authorized frequencies using telephone handsets.|PanAmSat - PanAmSat Corporation (Greenwich, CT).|SAFE - South African Far East Cable|Satellite communication system - a communication system consisting of two or more earth stations and at least one satellite that provide long distance transmission of voice, data, and television; the system usually serves as a trunk connection between telephone exchanges; if the earth stations are in the same country, it is a domestic system.|Satellite earth station - a communications facility with a microwave radio transmitting and receiving antenna and required receiving and transmitting equipment for communicating with satellites.|Satellite link - a radio connection between a satellite and an earth station permitting communication between them, either one-way (down link from satellite to earth station - television receive-only transmission) or two-way (telephone channels).|SHF - super high frequency; any radio frequency in the 3,000- to 30,000-MHz range.|Shortwave - radio frequencies (from 1.605 to 30 MHz) that fall above the commercial broadcast band and are used for communication over long distances.|Solidaridad - geosynchronous satellites in Mexico's system of international telecommunications in the Western Hemisphere.|Statsionar - Russia's geostationary system for satellite telecommunications.|Submarine cable - a cable designed for service under water.|TAT - Trans-Atlantic Telephone; any of a number of high-capacity submarine coaxial telephone cables linking Europe with North America.|Telefax - facsimile service between subscriber stations via the public switched telephone network or the international Datel network.|Telegraph - a telecommunications system designed for unmodulated electric impulse transmission.|Telex - a communication service involving teletypewriters connected by wire through automatic exchanges.|Tropospheric scatter - a form of microwave radio transmission in which the troposphere is used to scatter and reflect a fraction of the incident radio waves back to earth; powerful, highly directional antennas are used to transmit and receive the microwave signals; reliable over-the-horizon communications are realized for distances up to 600 miles in a single hop; additional hops can extend the range of this system for very long distances.|Trunk network - a network of switching centers, connected by multichannel trunk lines.|UHF - ultra high frequency; any radio frequency in the 300- to 3,000-MHz range.|VHF - very high frequency; any radio frequency in the 30- to 300-MHz range.

1	Azerbaijan	202000
2	Hungary	14213 telex lines; automatic telephone network based on microwave radio relay system; the average waiting time for telephones is expected to drop to one year by the end of 1997
3	Argentina	12000 public telephones; extensive modern system but many families do not have telephones; despite extensive use of microwave radio relay the telephone system frequently grounds out during rainstorms even in Buenos Aires
4	Johnston Atoll	13 outgoing and 10 incoming commercial lines; adequate telecommunications
5	Angola	telephone service limited mostly to government and business use; HF radiotelephone used extensively for military links
6	Pacific Ocean	international:several submarine cables with network nodal points on Guam and Hawaii
7	Niger	small system of wire radiotelephone communications and microwave radio relay links concentrated in southwestern area
8	Nigeria	average system limited by poor maintenance; major expansion in progress
9	North Korea	system is believed to be available principally for government business
10	Norway	high-quality domestic and international telephone telegraph and telex services
11	Oman	modern system consisting of open wire microwave and radiotelephone communication stations; limited coaxial cable
12	Papua New Guinea	services are adequate and being improved; facilities provide radiotelephone and telegraph coastal radio aeronautical radio and international radio communication services
13	Panama	domestic and international facilities well developed
14	New Zealand	excellent international and domestic systems
15	Paraguay	meager telephone service; principal switching center is Asuncion
16	Peru	adequate for most requirements
17	Philippines	good international radiotelephone and submarine cable services; domestic and interisland service adequate
18	Pitcairn Islands	party line telephone service on the island
19	Poland	0
20	Puerto Rico	modern system integrated with that of the US by high-capacity submarine cable and Intelsat with high-speed data capability
21	Nicaragua	low-capacity microwave radio relay and wire system being expanded; connected to Central American Microwave System
22	Nauru	adequate local and international radiotelephone communications provided via Australian facilities
23	Nepal	poor telephone and telegraph service; fair radiotelephone communication service
24	Martinique	domestic facilities are adequate
25	Madagascar	system is above average for Africa
26	Malaysia	international service good
27	Maldives	minimal domestic and international facilities
28	Mali	domestic system poor but improving; provides only minimal service
29	Malta	automatic system satisfies normal requirements
30	Marshall Islands	telex services
31	Mauritania	poor system of cable and open-wire lines minor microwave radio relay links and radiotelephone communications stations
32	Russia	total pay phones for long distant calls 34100; enlisting foreign help by means of joint ventures to speed up the modernization of its telecommunications system; in 1992 only 661000 new telephones were installed compared with 855000 in 1991 and in 1992 the number of unsatisfied applications for telephones reached 11000000; expanded access to international electronic mail service available via Sprint network; the inadequacy of Russian telecommunications is a severe handicap to the economy especially with respect to international connections
33	Mauritius	small system with good service
34	Mayotte	small system administered by French Department of Posts and Telecommunications
35	Mexico	highly developed system with extensive microwave radio relay links; privatized in December 1990; opened to competition January 1997
36	Moldova	telecommunication system not well developed; 215000 unsatisfied requests for telephone service
37	Monaco	automatic telephone system
38	Mozambique	fair system of tropospheric scatter open-wire lines and microwave radio relay
39	Myanmar	meets minimum requirements for local and intercity service for business and government; international service is good
40	Qatar	modern system centered in Doha
41	Saint Kitts and Nevis	good interisland VHF/UHF/SHF radiotelephone connections and international link via Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Martin
42	Rwanda	telephone system does not provide service to the general public but is intended for business and government use
43	United Kingdom	technologically advanced domestic and international system
44	Turkey	fair domestic and international systems; undergoing modernization and refurbishment programs
45	Turkmenistan	poorly developed
46	Turks and Caicos Islands	fair cable and radiotelephone services
47	Uganda	fair system
48	Ukraine	0
49	United Arab Emirates	modern system consisting of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai
50	Uruguay	some modern facilities
51	Trinidad and Tobago	excellent international service; good local service
52	Uzbekistan	poorly developed
53	Venezuela	modern and expanding
54	Vietnam	0
55	Wake Island	satellite communications; 1 DSN circuit off the Overseas Telephone System
56	Western Sahara	sparse and limited system
57	Yemen	since unification in 1990 efforts have been made to create a national telecommunications network
58	Zambia	facilities are among the best in Sub-Saharan Africa
59	Tunisia	the system is above the African average; key centers are Sfax Sousse Bizerte and Tunis
60	Togo	fair system based on network of microwave radio relay routes supplemented by open-wire lines and cellular system
61	Luxembourg	highly developed completely automated and efficient system mainly buried cables
62	Sri Lanka	very inadequate domestic service but expanding with the entry of two wireless loop operators and privatization of national telephone company; good international service
63	Saudi Arabia	modern system
64	Sierra Leone	marginal telephone and telegraph service
65	Singapore	good domestic facilities; good international service
66	Somalia	the public telecommunications system was completely destroyed or dismantled by the civil war factions; all relief organizations depend on their own private systems
67	South Africa	the system is the best developed most modern and has the highest capacity in Africa
68	South Korea	excellent domestic and international services
69	Spain	generally adequate modern facilities
70	Sudan	large well-equipped system by African standards but barely adequate and poorly maintained by modern standards
71	The Netherlands	highly developed and well maintained; extensive redundant system of multiconductor cables supplemented by microwave radio relay
72	Suriname	international facilities good
73	Sweden	excellent domestic and international facilities; automatic system
74	Switzerland	excellent domestic and international services
75	Syria	fair system currently undergoing significant improvement and digital upgrades including fiber-optic technology
76	Tajikistan	poorly developed and not well maintained; many towns are not reached by the national network
77	Tanzania	fair system operating below capacity
78	Thailand	service to general public adequate but investments in technological upgrades reduced by recession; bulk of service to government activities provided by multichannel cable and microwave radio relay network
79	Macau	fairly modern communication facilities maintained for domestic and international services
80	Libya	modern telecommunications system
81	Lithuania	telecommunications system ranks among the most modern of the former Soviet republics
82	Congo	services barely adequate for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville Pointe-Noire and Loubomo; inter-city lines frequently out-of-order
83	Central African Republic	fair system
84	Chad	primitive system
85	Chile	modern system based on extensive microwave radio relay facilities
86	China	domestic and international services are increasingly available for private use; unevenly distributed domestic system serves principal cities industrial centers and most townships
87	Colombia	modern system in many respects
88	Comoros	sparse system of microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communication stations
89	Costa Rica	very good domestic telephone service
90	Cameroon	available only to business and government
91	Cuba	among the world's least developed telephone systems
92	Cyprus	excellent in both the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot areas
93	Côte d'Ivoire	well-developed by African standards but operating well below capacity
94	Denmark	excellent telephone and telegraph services
95	Djibouti	telephone facilities in the city of Djibouti are adequate as are the microwave radio relay connections to outlying areas of the country
96	Egypt	large system by Third World standards but inadequate for present requirements and undergoing extensive upgrading
97	Equatorial Guinea	poor system with adequate government services
98	Canada	excellent service provided by modern technology
99	Cambodia	service barely adequate for government requirements and virtually nonexistent for general public
100	Ethiopia	open wire and microwave radio relay system adequate for government use
101	Belize	above-average system
102	Armenia	joint venture agreement to install fiber-optic cable and construct facilities for cellular telephone service is in the implementation phase
103	Atlantic Ocean	international:numerous submarine cables with most between continental Europe and the UK between North America and the UK and in the Mediterranean; numerous direct links across Atlantic via satellite networks
104	Australia	excellent domestic and international service
105	Bahrain	modern system; good domestic services and excellent international connections
106	Belarus	telephone service inadequate for the purposes of either business or the population; about 70% of the telephones are in homes; over 750000 applications from households for telephones remain unsatisfied
107	Belgium	highly developed technologically advanced and completely automated domestic and international telephone and telegraph facilities
108	Bolivia	new subscribers face bureaucratic difficulties; most telephones are concentrated in La Paz and other cities
109	Burundi	primitive system
110	Botswana	sparse system
111	Brazil	good working system
112	British Indian Ocean Territory	facilities for military needs only
113	British Virgin Islands	worldwide telephone service
114	Brunei	service throughout country is excellent; international service good to Europe US and East Asia
115	Bulgaria	almost two-thirds of the lines are residential; 67% of Sofia households have telephones
116	Burkina Faso	all services only fair
117	Estonia	system is antiquated; improvements are being made piecemeal with emphasis on business needs and international connections; there are still about 150000 unfulfilled requests for subscriber service
118	Faroe Islands	good international communications; good domestic facilities
119	Liechtenstein	automatic telephone system
120	Kazakhstan	service is poor
121	Ireland	modern digital system using cable and microwave radio relay
122	Israel	most highly developed system in the Middle East although not the largest
123	Italy	modern well-developed fast; fully automated telephone telex and data services
124	Jamaica	fully automatic domestic telephone network
125	Japan	excellent domestic and international service
126	Jordan	adequate telephone system
127	Kenya	in top group of African systems
128	Indonesia	domestic service fair international service good
129	Kuwait	the civil network suffered some damage as a result of the Gulf war but most of the telephone exchanges were left intact and by the end of 1994 domestic and international telecommunications had been restored to normal operation; the quality of service is excellent
130	Kyrgyzstan	poorly developed; about 100000 unsatisfied applications for household telephones
131	Latvia	service is better than in most of the other former Soviet republics
132	Lebanon	telecommunications system severely damaged by civil war; rebuilding well underway
133	Lesotho	rudimentary system
134	Liberia	telephone and telegraph service via microwave radio relay network; main center is Monrovia
135	Arctic Ocean	international:no submarine cables
136	Iraq	reconstitution of damaged telecommunication facilities began after the Gulf war; most damaged facilities have been rebuilt
137	Indian Ocean	international:submarine cables from India to UAE and Malaysia and from Sri Lanka to Djibouti and Indonesia
138	Fiji	modern local interisland and international
139	Guadeloupe	domestic facilities inadequate
140	Finland	good service from cable and microwave radio relay network
141	France	highly developed
142	Georgia	poor service; 339000 unsatisfied applications for telephones
143	Germany	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 is being rapidly modernized and integrated with that of the western part
144	Ghana	poor to fair system
145	Gibraltar	adequate automatic domestic system and adequate international facilities
146	Greece	adequate modern networks reach all areas; microwave radio relay carries most traffic; extensive open-wire network; submarine cables to off-shore islands
147	Guinea-Bissau	small system; only 11 telephones per 1000 persons
148	India	probably the least adequate telephone system of any of the industrializing countries; three of every four villages have no telephone service; only 5% of India's villages have long-distance service; poor telephone service significantly impedes commercial and industrial growth and penalizes India in global markets; slow improvement is taking place with the recent admission of private and private-public investors but demand for communication services is also growing rapidly
149	Guinea	poor to fair system of open-wire lines small radiotelephone communication stations and new microwave radio relay system
150	Guyana	fair system for long-distance calling
151	Haiti	domestic facilities barely adequate international facilities slightly better
152	Holy See	automatic exchange
153	Honduras	inadequate system
154	Hong Kong	modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services
155	Iceland	adequate domestic service
156	Zimbabwe	system was once one of the best in Africa but now suffers from poor maintenance

Country ranking for field: telephone system 1998