Hong Kong
general assessment: modern facilities provide excellent
domestic and international services
domestic: microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-optic
network
international: country code - 852; multiple international submarine
cables provide connections to Asia, US, Australia, the Middle East,
and Western Europe; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Pacific
Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); coaxial cable to Guangzhou, China
Hungary
general assessment: the telephone system has been modernized
and is capable of satisfying all requests for telecommunication
service
domestic: the system is digitalized and highly automated; trunk
services are carried by fiber-optic cable and digital microwave
radio relay; a program for fiber-optic subscriber connections was
initiated in 1996; competition among mobile-cellular service
providers has led to a sharp increase in the use of mobile cellular
phones since 2000 and a decrease in the number of fixed-line
connections
international: country code - 36; Hungary has fiber-optic cable
connections with all neighboring countries; the international switch
is in Budapest; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Inmarsat, 1 very small aperture
terminal (VSAT) system of ground terminals
Iceland
general assessment: telecommunications infrastructure is
modern and fully digitized, with satellite-earth stations,
fiber-optic cables, and an extensive broadband network
domestic: liberalization of the telecommunications sector beginning
in the late 1990s has led to increased competition especially in the
mobile services segment of the market
international: country code - 354; the CANTAT-3 and FARICE-1
submarine cable systems provide connectivity to Canada, the Faroe
Islands, UK, Denmark, and Germany; a planned new section of the
Hibernia-Atlantic submarine cable will provide additional
connectivity to Canada, US, and Ireland; satellite earth stations -
2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean
regions); note - Iceland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the
other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden)
India
general assessment: 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
domestic: mobile cellular service introduced in 1994 and organized
nationwide into four metropolitan areas and 19 telecom circles each
with about three private service providers and one state-owned
service provider; in recent years significant trunk capacity added
in the form of fiber-optic cable and one of the world's largest
domestic satellite systems, the Indian National Satellite system
(INSAT), with 6 satellites supporting 33,000 very small aperture
terminals (VSAT)
international: country code - 91; a number of major international
submarine cable systems, including Sea-Me-We-3 with landing sites at
Cochin and Mumbai (Bombay), Sea-Me-We-4 with a landing site at
Chennai, Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) with a landing
site at Mumbai (Bombay), South Africa - Far East (SAFE) with a
landing site at Cochin, the i2i cable network linking to Singapore
with landing sites at Mumbai (Bombay) and Chennai (Madras), and Tata
Indicom linking Singapore and Chennai (Madras), provide a
significant increase in the bandwidth available for both voice and
data traffic; satellite earth stations - 8 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region); 9 gateway exchanges operating
from Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi, Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai
(Madras), Jalandhar, Kanpur, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, and Ernakulam
(2008)
Indonesia
general assessment: domestic service fair, international
service good
domestic: interisland microwave system and HF radio police net;
domestic satellite communications system; coverage provided by
existing network has been expanded by use of over 200,000 telephone
kiosks many located in remote areas; mobile cellular subscribership
growing rapidly
international: country code - 62; landing point for both the
SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable networks that provide
links throughout Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth
stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean)
Iran
general assessment: 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
domestic: the addition of new fiber cables and modern switching and
exchange systems installed by Iran's state-owned telecom company
have improved and expanded the main line network greatly; main line
availability has more than doubled to nearly 24 million lines since
2000; additionally, mobile service has increased dramatically
serving nearly 30 million subscribers in 2007
international: country code - 98; submarine fiber-optic cable to UAE
with access to Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG);
Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line runs from Azerbaijan
through the northern portion of Iran to Turkmenistan with expansion
to Georgia and Azerbaijan; HF radio and microwave radio relay to
Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Syria,
Kuwait, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; satellite earth stations - 13 (9
Intelsat and 4 Inmarsat) (2007)
Iraq
general assessment: 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
domestic: repairs to switches and lines destroyed during 2003
continue; additional switching capacity is improving access;
cellular service is available and centered on 3 GSM networks which
are being expanded beyond their regional roots, improving
country-wide connectivity; wireless local loop licenses have been
issued with the hope of overcoming the lack of fixed-line
infrastructure
international: country code - 964; satellite earth stations - 4 (2
Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean, 1 Intersputnik -
Atlantic Ocean region, and 1 Arabsat (inoperative)); local microwave
radio relay connects border regions to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and
Turkey; planned international fiber-optic connections to Iran
(terrestrial) with a link to the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe
(FLAG) submarine fiber-optic cable (2007)
Ireland
general assessment: modern digital system using cable and
microwave radio relay
domestic: microwave radio relay
international: country code - 353; landing point for the
Hibernia-Atlantic submarine cable with links to the US, Canada, and
UK; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Isle of Man
general assessment: NA
domestic: landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone system
international: fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, satellite
earth station, submarine cable
Israel
general assessment: most highly developed system in the
Middle East although not the largest
domestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay;
all systems are digital; four privately-owned mobile-cellular
service providers with countrywide coverage; mobile-cellular
teledensity is 140 per 100 persons
international: country code - 972; submarine cables provide links to
Europe, Cyprus, and parts of the Middle East; satellite earth
stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) (2007)