Christmas Island
general assessment: service provided by the
Australian network
domestic: GSM mobile telephone service replaced older analog system
in February 2005
international: country code - 61-8; satellite earth station - 1
(Intelsat provides telephone and telex service) (2005)
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
general assessment: connected within
Australia's telecommunication system; a local mobile-cellular
network is in operation
domestic: NA
international: country code - 61; telephone, telex, and facsimile
communications with Australia and elsewhere via satellite; satellite
earth station - 1 (Intelsat) (2001)
Colombia
general assessment: 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
domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system; domestic
satellite system with 41 earth stations; fiber-optic network linking
50 cities
international: country code - 57; submarine cables provide links to
the US, parts of the Caribbean, and Central and South America;
satellite earth stations - 10 (6 Intelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 3 fully
digitalized international switching centers) (2007)
Comoros
general assessment: 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
domestic: HF radiotelephone communications and microwave radio relay
international: country code - 269; HF radiotelephone communications
to Madagascar and Reunion
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
general assessment: 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
domestic: barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in
and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth
stations
international: country code - 243; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Congo, Republic of the
general assessment: 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
domestic: primary network consists of microwave radio relay and
coaxial cable
international: country code - 242; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Cook Islands
general assessment: Telecom Cook Islands offers
international direct dialing, Internet, email, fax, and Telex
domestic: individual islands are connected by a combination of
satellite earth stations, microwave systems, and VHF and HF
radiotelephone; within the islands, service is provided by small
exchanges connected to subscribers by open-wire, cable, and
fiber-optic cable
international: country code - 682; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Costa Rica
general assessment: 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
domestic: point-to-point and point-to-multi-point microwave,
fiber-optic, and coaxial cable link rural areas; Internet service is
available
international: country code - 506; landing point for the Americas
Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic
telecommunications submarine cable and the MAYA-1 submarine cable
that provide links to South and Central America, parts of the
Caribbean, and the US; connected to Central American Microwave
System; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Cote d'Ivoire
general assessment: 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
domestic: open-wire lines and microwave radio relay; 90% digitalized
international: country code - 225; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC
fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and
Asia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1
Indian Ocean) (2007)
Croatia
general assessment: 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
domestic: more than 90 percent of local lines are digital
international: country code - 385; digital international service is
provided through the main switch in Zagreb; Croatia participates in
the Trans-Asia-Europe (TEL) fiber-optic project, which consists of 2
fiber-optic trunk connections with Slovenia and a fiber-optic trunk
line from Rijeka to Split and Dubrovnik; the ADRIA-1 submarine cable
provides connectivity to Albania and Greece (2007)