Communications
Telephones: 29.5 million (1987 est.)
Telephone system: technologically advanced domestic and
international system
domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and
fiber-optic systems
international: 40 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth
stations—10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1
Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat; at least 8 large
international switching centers
Radio broadcast stations: AM 225, FM 525 (mostly repeaters),
shortwave 0
Radios: 70 million
Television broadcast stations: 78 (in addition, there are 869 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 20 million
Transportation
Railways:
total: 16,878 km
broad gauge: 342 km 1.600-m gauge (190 km double track); note—all
1.600-m gauge track, of which 342 km is in common carrier use, is in
Northern Ireland
standard gauge: 16,536 km 1.435-m gauge (4,928 km electrified;
12,591 km double or multiple track) (1996)
Highways:
total: 372,000 km
paved: 372,000 km (including 3,270 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1996 est.)