Exchange rates:
11,100 (2006), in recent years the unofficial rate has hovered
around 24,000 to 25,000 Turkmen manats to the dollar; the official
rate has consistently been 5,200 manat to the dollar
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Turkmenistan
Telephones - main lines in use:
495,000 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
52,000 (2004)
Telephone system:
general assessment: poorly developed
domestic: Turkmenistan's telecommunications network remains woefully
underdeveloped; Turkmentelekom, in cooperation with foreign
investors, is planning to upgrade the country's telephone exchanges
and install a new digital switching system
international: country code - 993; 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:
AM 16, FM 8, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios:
1.225 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
4 (government owned and programmed) (2004)
Televisions:
820,000 (1997)