Telephone system: poorly developed
domestic: NA
international: linked by cable and microwave radio relay to other
CIS republics and to other countries by leased connections to the
Moscow international gateway switch; a new telephone link from
Ashgabat to Iran has been established; a new exchange in Ashgabat
switches international traffic through Turkey via Intelsat;
satellite earth stations—1 Orbita and 1 Intelsat
Radio broadcast stations: 1 state-owned radio broadcast station
of NA type
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 3 (much programming relayed from
Russia and Turkey) (1997)
Televisions: NA
Transportation
Railways: total: 2,187 km broad gauge: 2,187 km 1.520-m gauge (1996 est.)
Highways:
total: 24,000 km
paved: 19,488 km (note—these roads are said to be hard-surfaced,
meaning that some are paved and some are all-weather gravel surfaced)
unpaved: 4,512 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: the Amu Darya is an important inland waterway
Pipelines: crude oil 250 km; natural gas 4,400 km