| Countries (A to Z) |
Description |
| Afghanistan |
limited landline telephone service; an increasing number of Afghans utilize mobile-cellular phone networks in major cities |
| Albania |
despite new investment in fixed lines, the density of main lines remains low with roughly 10 lines per 100 people; cellular telephone use is widespread and generally effective; combined fixed line and mobile telephone density is approximately 75 telephones per 100 persons |
| Algeria |
a weak network of fixed-main lines, which remains low at less than 10 telephones per 100 persons, is partially offset by the rapid increase in mobile cellular subscribership; in 2007, combined fixed-line and mobile telephone density surpassed 90 telephones per 100 persons |
| Angola |
system inadequate; fewer than one fixed-line per 100 persons; combined fixed line and mobile telephone density exceeded 25 telephones per 100 persons in 2007 |
| Antarctica |
local systems at some research stations |
| Argentina |
by opening the telecommunications market to competition and foreign investment with the "Telecommunications Liberalization Plan of 1998," Argentina encouraged the growth of modern telecommunications technology; fiber-optic cable trunk lines are being installed between all major cities; major networks are entirely digital and the availability of telephone service is improving; fixed-line telephone density is gradually increasing reaching nearly 25 lines per 100 people in 2007; mobile telephone subscribership has been increasing rapidly and has reached a level of 100 telephones per 100 persons |
| Armenia |
telecommunications investments have made major inroads in modernizing and upgrading the outdated telecommunications network inherited from the Soviet era; now 100% privately owned and undergoing modernization and expansion; mobile-cellular services monopoly terminated in late 2004 and a second provider began operations in mid-2005 |
| Aruba |
modern fully automatic telecommunications system |
| Australia |
excellent domestic and international service |
| Austria |
highly developed and efficient |
| Azerbaijan |
inadequate; requires considerable expansion and modernization; teledensity of 15 main lines per 100 persons is low; mobile-cellular penetration is increasing and is currently about 50 telephones per 100 persons |
| Bahamas, The |
modern facilities |
| Bahrain |
modern system |
| Bangladesh |
inadequate for a modern country; fixed-line telephone density remains less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscribership has been increasing rapidly and is approaching 25 per 100 persons |
| Barbados |
fixed-line teledensity of roughly 50 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density of about 85 per 100 persons |
| Belarus |
Belarus lags behind its neighbors in upgrading telecommunications infrastructure; state-owned Beltelcom is the sole provider of fixed-line local and long distance service; fixed-line teledensity of roughly 35 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density of about 60 per 100 persons; modernization of the network progressing with roughly two-thirds of switching equipment now digital |
| Belgium |
highly developed, technologically advanced, and completely automated domestic and international telephone and telegraph facilities |
| Belize |
above-average system; fixed-line teledensity of 12 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density of about 40 per 100 persons |
| Benin |
inadequate; fixed-line network characterized by aging, deteriorating equipment with fixed-line teledensity stuck at 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscribership is increasing |
| Bermuda |
good |
| Bhutan |
urban towns and district headquarters have telecommunications services |
| Bolivia |
privatization begun in 1995; reliability has steadily improved; new subscribers face bureaucratic difficulties; most telephones are concentrated in La Paz and other cities; mobile-cellular telephone use expanding rapidly; fixed-line teledensity of 7 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density of 35 per 100 persons |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina |
post-war reconstruction of the telecommunications network, aided by a internationally sponsored program under ERBD, resulted in sharp increases in the number of main telephone lines available; mobile cellular subscribership has been increasing rapidly |
| Botswana |
the system is expanding with the growth of mobile-cellular service and participation in regional development; system is fully digital with fiber-optic cables linking the major population centers in the east; fixed-line connections declined in recent years and now stand at roughly 8 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density currently is about 80 per 100 persons |
| Brazil |
good working system; fixed-line connections have remained relatively stable in recent years and stand at about 20 per 100 persons; less expensive mobile cellular technology is a major driver in expanding telephone service to the low-income segment of the population with mobile-cellular telephone density reaching nearly 65 per 100 persons |
| British Indian Ocean Territory |
separate facilities for military and public needs are available |
| British Virgin Islands |
worldwide telephone service |
| Brunei |
service throughout the country is excellent; international service is good to Southeast Asia, Middle East, Western Europe, and the US |
| Bulgaria |
an extensive but antiquated telecommunications network inherited from the Soviet era; quality has improved; the Bulgaria Telecommunications Company's fixed-line monopoly terminated in 2005 when alternative fixed-line operators were given access to its network; a drop in fixed-line connections in recent years has been more than offset by a sharp increase in mobile-cellular telephone use fostered by multiple service providers; the number of cellular telephone subscriptions now exceeds the population |
| Burkina Faso |
services only fair; in 2006 the government sold a 51 percent stake in the national telephone company and ultimately plans to retain only a 23 percent stake in the company; fixed-line connections stand at less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage, fostered by multiple providers, is increasing rapidly from a low base |
| Burma |
meets minimum requirements for local and intercity service for business and government |
| Burundi |
primitive system; 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 3 per 100 persons |
| Cambodia |
mobile-phone systems are widely used in urban areas to bypass deficiencies in the fixed-line network; fixed-line connections stand at well less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage, aided by increasing competition among service providers, is increasing and stands at nearly 20 per 100 persons |
| Cameroon |
fixed-line connections stand at less than 1 per 100 persons; equipment is old and outdated, and connections with many parts of the country are unreliable; mobile-cellular usage, in part a reflection of the poor condition and general inadequacy of the fixed-line network, increased more than 6-fold between 2002 and 2007 reaching a subscribership base of 25 per 100 persons |
| Canada |
excellent service provided by modern technology |
| Cape Verde |
effective system, extensive modernization from 1996-2000 following partial privatization in 1995 |
| Cayman Islands |
reasonably good system |
| Central African Republic |
limited telephone service; fixed-line connections for well less than 1 per 100 persons coupled with mobile-cellular usage of only about 3 per 100 persons; most fixed-line and cellular telephone services are concentrated in Bangui |
| Chad |
primitive system with high costs and low telephone density; fixed-line connections for only about 1 per 1000 persons coupled with mobile-cellular usage of only about 9 per 100 persons |
| Chile |
privatization begun in 1988; most advanced telecommunications infrastructure in South America; modern system based on extensive microwave radio relay facilities; fixed-line connections have dropped in recent years as mobile-cellular usage continues to increase, reaching a level of 85 telephones per 100 persons |
| China |
domestic and international services are increasingly available for private use; unevenly distributed domestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and many towns; nonetheless, by the end of 2006, more than 95% of China's villages had been connected to the telephone network; China continues to develop its telecommunications infrastructure, and is partnering with foreign providers to expand its global reach; 3 of China's 6 major telecommunications operators are part of an international consortium which, in December 2006, signed an agreement with Verizon Business to build the first next-generation fiber optic submarine cable system directly linking the US mainland and China |
| Christmas Island |
service provided by the Australian network |
| Cocos (Keeling) Islands |
connected within Australia's telecommunication system |
| Colombia |
modern system in many respects; telecommunications sector liberalized during the 1990s; multiple providers of both fixed-line and mobile-cellular services; fixed-line connections stand at about 18 per 100 persons; mobile cellular usage is about 75 per 100 persons; competition among cellular service providers is resulting in falling local and international calling rates and contributing to the steep decline in the market share of fixed line services |
| Comoros |
sparse system of microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communication stations; fixed-line connections only about 3 per 100 persons; mobile cellular usage about 5 per 100 persons |
| Congo, Democratic Republic of the |
inadequate; state-owned fixed-line operator has been unable to expand fixed-line connections and there are now fewer than 10,000 connections - less than 1 per 1000 persons; given the backdrop of a wholly inadequate fixed-line infrastructure, the use of cellular services has surged and subscribership in 2007 reached 6.6 million - 10 per 100 persons |
| Congo, Republic of the |
services barely adequate for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo; intercity lines frequently out of order; fixed-line infrastructure inadequate providing less than 1 connection per 100 persons; in the absence of an adequate fixed line infrastructure, mobile-cellular subscribership has surged reaching 35 per 100 persons |
| Cook Islands |
Telecom Cook Islands offers international direct dialing, Internet, email, fax, and Telex |
| Costa Rica |
good domestic telephone service in terms of breadth of coverage; restricted cellular telephone service; state-run monopoly provider is struggling with the demand for new lines, resulting in long waiting times |
| Croatia |
the telecommunications network has improved steadily since the mid-1990s; the number of fixed telephone lines holding steady at about 40 per 100 persons; the number of cellular telephone subscriptions exceeds the population |
| Cuba |
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; wireless service is expensive and must be paid in convertible pesos which effectively limits mobile cellular subscribership |
| Cyprus |
excellent in both area under government control and area administered by Turkish Cypriots |
| Czech Republic |
privatization and modernization of the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but is advancing steadily; 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 |
| Côte d'Ivoire |
well developed by African standards; telecommunications sector privatized in late 1990s and operational fixed-lines have more than quadrupled since that time; with multiple cellular service providers competing in the market, cellular usage has increased sharply to roughly 40 per 100 persons |
| Denmark |
excellent telephone and telegraph services |
| Djibouti |
telephone facilities in the city of Djibouti are adequate, as are the microwave radio relay connections to outlying areas of the country |
| Dominican Republic |
relatively efficient system based on island-wide microwave radio relay network |
| East Timor |
rudimentary service limited to urban areas |
| Ecuador |
generally elementary but being expanded |
| Egypt |
large system; underwent extensive upgrading during 1990s and is reasonably modern; Telecom Egypt, the landline monopoly, has been increasing service availability and in 2007 fixed-line density stood at 14 per 100 persons; as of 2007 there were three mobile-cellular networks and service is expanding rapidly |
| El Salvador |
multiple mobile-cellular service providers are expanding services rapidly and in 2007 mobile-cellular density stood at nearly 90 per 100 persons; growth in fixed-line services has slowed in the face of mobile-cellular competition |
| Equatorial Guinea |
digital fixed-line network in most major urban areas and good mobile coverage |
| Eritrea |
inadequate; combined fixed-line and mobile cellular subscribership is only about 2 per 100 persons |
| Estonia |
foreign investment in the form of joint business ventures greatly improved telephone service; 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 |
| Ethiopia |
inadequate telephone system; the number of fixed lines and mobile telephones is increasing from a very small base; combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity is only about 2 per 100 persons |
| Faroe Islands |
good international communications; good domestic facilities |
| Fiji |
modern local, interisland, and international (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purpose telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radio communications center |
| Finland |
modern system with excellent service |
| France |
highly developed |
| Gabon |
adequate service by African standards and improving with the help of a growing mobile cell network system with multiple providers; mobile-cellular subscribership reached 80 per 100 persons in 2007 |
| Gambia, The |
adequate; a packet switched data network is available; two mobile-cellular service providers |
| Georgia |
fixed-line telecommunications network has only limited coverage outside Tbilisi; multiple mobile-cellular providers provide services to an increasing subscribership throughout the country |
| 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, dating back to World War II, has been modernized and integrated with that of the western part |
| Ghana |
outdated and unreliable fixed-line infrastructure heavily concentrated in Accra; competition among multiple mobile-cellular providers has spurred growth with subscribership about 35 per 100 persons and rising |
| Gibraltar |
adequate, automatic domestic system and adequate international facilities |
| Greece |
adequate, modern networks reach all areas; good mobile telephone and international service |
| Greenland |
adequate domestic and international service provided by satellite, cables and microwave radio relay; totally digitalized in 1995 |
| Grenada |
automatic, islandwide telephone system |
| Guadeloupe |
domestic facilities inadequate |
| Guam |
modern system, integrated with US facilities for direct dialing, including free use of 800 numbers |
| Guatemala |
fairly modern network centered in the city of Guatemala |
| Guinea |
inadequate system of open-wire lines, small radiotelephone communication stations, and new microwave radio relay system |
| Guinea-Bissau |
small system |
| Guyana |
fair system for long-distance service |
| Haiti |
domestic facilities barely adequate; international facilities slightly better; telephone density in Haiti remains the lowest in the Latin American and Caribbean region |
| Holy See (Vatican City) |
automatic digital exchange |
| Honduras |
inadequate system |
| Hong Kong |
modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services |
| Hungary |
the telephone system has been modernized and is capable of satisfying all requests for telecommunication service |
| Iceland |
telecommunications infrastructure is modern and fully digitized, with satellite-earth stations, fiber-optic cables, and an extensive broadband network |
| India |
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 |
| Indonesia |
domestic service fair, international service good |
| Iran |
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 |
| Iraq |
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 |
| Ireland |
modern digital system using cable and microwave radio relay |
| Israel |
most highly developed system in the Middle East although not the largest |
| Italy |
modern, well developed, fast; fully automated telephone, telex, and data services |
| Jamaica |
fully automatic domestic telephone network |
| Japan |
excellent domestic and international service |
| Johnston Atoll |
33 commercial lines, 15 incoming and 18 outgoing; adequate telecommunications |
| Jordan |
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 |
| Kazakhstan |
inherited an outdated telecommunications network from the Soviet era requiring modernization |
| Kenya |
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 |
| Kiribati |
generally good quality national and international service |
| Korea, North |
inadequate system; currently no mobile cellular telephone services |
| Korea, South |
excellent domestic and international services featuring rapid incorporation of new technologies |
| Kuwait |
the quality of service is excellent |
| Kyrgyzstan |
telecommunications infrastructure is growing; fixed line penetration remains low and concentrated in urban areas |
| Laos |
service to general public is poor but improving; the government relies on a radiotelephone network to communicate with remote areas |
| Latvia |
recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector; the number of fixed lines is decreasing as wireless telephone service expands |
| Lebanon |
repair of the telecommunications system, severely damaged during the civil war, now complete |
| Lesotho |
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 |
| Liberia |
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 |
| Libya |
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 |
| Liechtenstein |
automatic telephone system |
| Lithuania |
adequate; being modernized to provide improved international capability and better residential access |
| Luxembourg |
highly developed, completely automated and efficient system, mainly buried cables |
| Macau |
fairly modern communication facilities maintained for domestic and international services |
| Macedonia, Republic of |
competition from the mobile-cellular segment of the telecommunications market has led to a drop in fixed-line telephone subscriptions |
| Madagascar |
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 |
| Malawi |
rudimentary |
| Malaysia |
modern system; international service excellent |
| Maldives |
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 |
| Mali |
domestic system unreliable but improving; provides only minimal service |
| Malta |
automatic system satisfies normal requirements; fixed-line teledensity 50 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity about 90 per 100 persons |
| Marshall Islands |
digital switching equipment; modern services include telex, cellular, Internet, international calling, caller ID, and leased data circuits |
| Martinique |
domestic facilities are adequate |
| Mauritania |
limited system of cable and open-wire lines, minor microwave radio relay links, and radiotelephone communications stations; mobile-cellular services expanding rapidly |
| Mauritius |
small system with good service |
| Mayotte |
small system administered by French Department of Posts and Telecommunications |
| Mexico |
adequate telephone service for business and government, but the population is poorly served; mobile subscribers far outnumber fixed-line subscribers; domestic satellite system with 120 earth stations; extensive microwave radio relay network; considerable use of fiber-optic cable and coaxial cable |
| Micronesia, Federated States of |
adequate system |
| Moldova |
inadequate, outmoded, poor service outside Chisinau; some modernization is under way |
| Monaco |
modern automatic telephone system |
| Mongolia |
network is improving with international direct dialing available in many areas |
| Montenegro |
modern telecommunications system with access to European satellites |
| Montserrat |
modern and fully digitalized |
| Morocco |
modern system with all important capabilities; however, density is low with only 7 fixed lines available for each 100 persons; mobile-cellular subscribership is approaching 60 per 100 persons |
| Mozambique |
fair system with an extremely low density of less than 1 fixed line per 100 persons |
| Namibia |
good system with a combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity of about 45 per 100 persons |
| Nauru |
adequate local and international radiotelephone communication provided via Australian facilities |
| Nepal |
poor telephone and telegraph service; fair radiotelephone communication service and mobile-cellular telephone network |
| Netherlands |
highly developed and well maintained |
| Netherlands Antilles |
generally adequate facilities |
| New Zealand |
excellent domestic and international systems |
| Nicaragua |
system being upgraded by foreign investment; nearly all installed telecommunications capacity now uses digital technology, owing to investments since privatization of the formerly state-owned telecommunications company |
| Niger |
inadequate; small system of wire, radio telephone communications, and microwave radio relay links concentrated in the southwestern area of Niger |
| Nigeria |
further expansion and modernization of the fixed-line telephone network is needed |
| Norfolk Island |
adequate |
| Norway |
modern in all respects; one of the most advanced telecommunications networks in Europe |
| Oman |
modern system consisting of open-wire, microwave, and radiotelephone communication stations; limited coaxial cable |
| Pakistan |
the telecommunications infrastructure is improving dramatically with foreign and domestic investments into fixed-line and mobile networks; mobile-cellular subscribership has skyrocketed, reaching some 88 million in 2008, up from only about 300,000 in 2000; fiber systems are being constructed throughout the country to aid in network growth; main line availability has risen only marginally over the same period and there are still difficulties getting main line service to rural areas |
| Panama |
domestic and international facilities well developed |
| Papua New Guinea |
services are minimal; facilities provide radiotelephone and telegraph, coastal radio, aeronautical radio, and international radio communication services |
| Paraguay |
meager telephone service; principal switching center is in Asuncion |
| Peru |
adequate for most requirements |
| Philippines |
good international radiotelephone and submarine cable services; domestic and interisland service adequate |
| Pitcairn Islands |
satellite phone services |
| Poland |
modernization of the telecommunications network has accelerated with market based competition finalized in 2003; fixed-line service, dominated by the former state-owned company, is dwarfed by the growth in wireless telephony |
| Portugal |
Portugal's telephone system has achieved a state-of-the-art network with broadband, high-speed capabilities |
| Puerto Rico |
modern system integrated with that of the US by high-capacity submarine cable and Intelsat with high-speed data capability |
| Qatar |
modern system centered in Doha |
| Romania |
domestic and international service improving rapidly, especially in wireless telephony |
| Russia |
the telephone system is experiencing significant changes; there are more than 1,000 companies licensed to offer communication services; access to digital lines has improved, particularly in urban centers; Internet and e-mail services are improving; Russia has made progress toward building the telecommunications infrastructure necessary for a market economy; the estimated number of mobile subscribers jumped from fewer than 1 million in 1998 to 170 million in 2007; a large demand for main line service remains unsatisfied, but fixed-line operators continue to grow their services |
| Rwanda |
small, inadequate telephone system primarily serves business and government |
| Réunion |
adequate system; principal center is Saint-Denis |
| Saint Barthelemy |
fully integrated access |
| Saint Helena |
can communicate worldwide |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis |
good interisland and international connections |
| Saint Lucia |
adequate system |
| Saint Martin |
fully integrated access |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon |
adequate |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
adequate system |
| Samoa |
adequate |
| San Marino |
adequate connections |
| Saudi Arabia |
modern system |
| Senegal |
good system |
| Serbia and Montenegro |
modernization of the telecommunications network has been slow as a result of damage stemming from the 1999 war and transition to a competitive market-based system; network was only 65% digitalized in 2005 |
| Seychelles |
effective system |
| Sierra Leone |
marginal telephone service |
| Singapore |
excellent service |
| Slovakia |
Slovakia has a modern telecommunications system that has expanded dramatically in recent years with the growth in cellular services |
| Slovenia |
well-developed telecommunications infrastructure |
| Somalia |
the public telecommunications system was almost completely destroyed or dismantled during the civil war; private wireless companies offer service in most major cities and charge the lowest international rates on the continent |
| South Africa |
the system is the best developed and most modern in Africa |
| Spain |
well developed, modern facilities; fixed-line teledensity is about 45 per 100 persons |
| Sri Lanka |
very inadequate domestic service, particularly in rural areas; likely improvement with privatization of national telephone company and encouragement to private investment; good international service |
| Sudan |
well-equipped system by regional standards and being upgraded; cellular communications started in 1996 and have expanded substantially |
| Suriname |
international facilities are good |
| Svalbard |
probably adequate |
| Swaziland |
a somewhat modern but not an advanced system |
| Sweden |
highly developed telecommunications infrastructure; ranked among leading countries for fixed-line, mobile-cellular, Internet and broadband penetration |
| Switzerland |
highly developed telecommunications infrastructure with excellent domestic and international services |
| Syria |
fair system currently undergoing significant improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic technology |
| São Tomé and Príncipe |
local telephone network of adequate quality with most lines connected to digital switches |
| Taiwan |
provides telecommunications service for every business and private need |
| Tajikistan |
poorly developed and not well maintained; many towns are not linked to the national network |
| Tanzania |
telecommunications services are inadequate; system operating below capacity and being modernized for better service; small aperture terminal (VSAT) system under construction |
| Thailand |
high quality system, especially in urban areas like Bangkok |
| Togo |
fair system based on a network of microwave radio relay routes supplemented by open-wire lines and a mobile-cellular system |
| Tokelau |
modern satellite-based communications system |
| Trinidad and Tobago |
excellent international service; good local service |
| Tunisia |
above the African average and continuing to be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis; Internet access available |
| Turkey |
undergoing rapid modernization and expansion especially with cellular telephones |
| Turkmenistan |
poorly developed |
| Turks and Caicos Islands |
fully digital system with international direct dialing |
| Tuvalu |
serves particular needs for internal communications |
| Uganda |
seriously inadequate; mobile cellular service is increasing rapidly, but the number of main lines is still deficient; e-mail and Internet services are available |
| Ukraine |
Ukraine's telecommunication development plan emphasizes improving domestic trunk lines, international connections, and the mobile-cellular system |
| United Arab Emirates |
modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile-cellular telephones; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai |
| United Kingdom |
technologically advanced domestic and international system |
| United States |
a large, technologically advanced, multipurpose communications system |
| Uruguay |
fully digitalized |
| Uzbekistan |
antiquated and inadequate; in serious need of modernization |
| Venezuela |
modern and expanding |
| Vietnam |
Vietnam is putting considerable effort into modernization and expansion of its telecommunication system, but its performance continues to lag behind that of its more modern neighbors |
| Virgin Islands |
modern system with total digital switching, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay |
| Wake Island |
satellite communications; 2 DSN circuits off the Overseas Telephone System (OTS) |
| Western Sahara |
sparse and limited system |
| Yemen |
since unification in 1990, efforts have been made to create a national telecommunications network |
| Zambia |
facilities are aging but still among the best in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Zimbabwe |
system was once one of the best in Africa, but now suffers from poor maintenance; more than 100,000 outstanding requests for connection despite an equally large number of installed but unused main lines |