British Indian Ocean Territory general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: country code (Diego Garcia) - 246; international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)
British Virgin Islands
general assessment: worldwide telephone
service
domestic: fixed line connections exceed 75 per 100 persons and
mobile cellular subscribership is approaching 100 per 100 persons
international: country code - 1-284; connected via submarine cable
to Bermuda; the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) submarine cable
provides connectivity to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean
(2008)
Brunei
general assessment: service throughout the country is
excellent; international service is good to Southeast Asia, Middle
East, Western Europe, and the US
domestic: every service available
international: country code - 673; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3
optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to
Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; the Asia-America Gateway
submarine cable network, scheduled for completion by late 2008, will
provide new links to Asia and the US; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) (2007)
Bulgaria
general assessment: an extensive but antiquated
telecommunications network inherited from the Soviet era; quality
has improved; the Bulgaria Telecommunications Company's fixed-line
monopoly terminated in 2005 when alternative fixed-line operators
were given access to its network; a drop in fixed-line connections
in recent years has been more than offset by a sharp increase in
mobile-cellular telephone use fostered by multiple service
providers; the number of cellular telephone subscriptions now
greatly exceeds the population
domestic: a fairly modern digital cable trunk line now connects
switching centers in most of the regions; the others are connected
by digital microwave radio relay
international: country code - 359; submarine cable provides
connectivity to Ukraine and Russia; a combination submarine cable
and land fiber-optic system provides connectivity to Italy, Albania,
and Macedonia; satellite earth stations - 3 (1 Intersputnik in the
Atlantic Ocean region, 2 Intelsat in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean
regions) (2008)
Burkina Faso
general assessment: services only fair; in 2006 the
government sold a 51 percent stake in the national telephone company
and ultimately plans to retain only a 23 percent stake in the
company; fixed-line connections stand at less than 1 per 100
persons; mobile-cellular usage, fostered by multiple providers, is
increasing rapidly from a low base
domestic: microwave radio relay, open-wire, and radiotelephone
communication stations
international: country code - 226; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008)
Burma
general assessment: meets minimum requirements for local and
intercity service for business and government
domestic: system barely capable of providing basic service; cellular
phone system is grossly underdeveloped with a subscribership base of
less than 1 per 100 persons
international: country code - 95; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3
optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to
Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2,
Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and ShinSat (2008)
Burundi
general assessment: primitive system; telephone density one
of the lowest in the world; fixed-line connections stand at well
less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage is increasing but
remains at a meager 5 per 100 persons
domestic: sparse system of open-wire, radiotelephone communications,
and low-capacity microwave radio relay
international: country code - 257; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2008)
Cambodia
general assessment: mobile-phone systems are widely used in
urban areas to bypass deficiencies in the fixed-line network;
fixed-line connections stand at well less than 1 per 100 persons;
mobile-cellular usage, aided by increasing competition among service
providers, is increasing and stands at 30 per 100 persons
domestic: adequate landline and/or cellular service in Phnom Penh
and other provincial cities; mobile-phone coverage is rapidly
expanding in rural areas
international: country code - 855; adequate but expensive landline
and cellular service available to all countries from Phnom Penh and
major provincial cities; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik
(Indian Ocean region) (2008)
Cameroon
general assessment: fixed-line connections stand at less
than 1 per 100 persons; equipment is old and outdated, and
connections with many parts of the country are unreliable;
mobile-cellular usage, in part a reflection of the poor condition
and general inadequacy of the fixed-line network, has increased
sharply, reaching a subscribership base of 33 per 100 persons
domestic: cable, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter
international: country code - 237; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC
fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and
Asia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008)
Canada
general assessment: excellent service provided by modern
technology
domestic: domestic satellite system with about 300 earth stations
international: country code - 1; submarine cables provide links to
the US and Europe; satellite earth stations - 7 (5 Intelsat - 4
Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean, and 2 Intersputnik - Atlantic
Ocean region) (2007)