Malawi
general assessment: rudimentary
domestic: fixed-line subscribership about 2 per 100 persons;
privatization of Malawi Telecommunications (MTL), a necessary step
in bringing improvement to telecommunications services, completed in
2006; mobile-cellular services are expanding but cellular network
coverage is limited and is based around the main urban areas; mobile
cellular subscribership approaching 15 per 100 persons
international: country code - 265; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean, 1 Atlantic Ocean) (2008)
Malaysia
general assessment: modern system; international service
excellent
domestic: good intercity service provided on Peninsular Malaysia
mainly by microwave radio relay; adequate intercity microwave radio
relay network between Sabah and Sarawak via Brunei; domestic
satellite system with 2 earth stations; combined fixed-line and
mobile cellular teledensity 125 per 100 persons
international: country code - 60; landing point for several major
international submarine cable networks that provide connectivity to
Asia, Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat
(1 Indian Ocean, 1 Pacific Ocean) (2008)
Maldives
general assessment: telephone services have improved; each
island now has at least 1 public telephone, and there are mobile
cellular networks with a rapidly expanding subscribership that
exceeds 100 per 100 persons
domestic: interatoll communication through microwave links; all
inhabited islands and resorts are connected with telephone and fax
service
international: country code - 960; linked to international submarine
cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); satellite earth
station - 3 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2009)
Mali
general assessment: domestic system unreliable but improving;
provides only minimal service
domestic: fixed-line subscribership remains less than 1 per 100
persons; increasing use of local radio loops to extend network
coverage to remote areas; mobile-cellular subscribership has
increased sharply to about 25 per 100 persons
international: country code - 223; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean, 1 Indian Ocean) (2008)
Malta
general assessment: automatic system is adequate; combined
fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership exceeds 150 per 100
persons
domestic: submarine cable and microwave radio relay between islands
international: country code - 356; submarine cable connects to
Italy; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008)
Marshall Islands
general assessment: digital switching equipment;
modern services include telex, cellular, Internet, international
calling, caller ID, and leased data circuits
domestic: Majuro Atoll and Ebeye and Kwajalein islands have regular,
seven-digit, direct-dial telephones; other islands interconnected by
high frequency radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes)
and mini-satellite telephones
international: country code - 692; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); US Government satellite communications
system on Kwajalein (2005)
Mauritania
general assessment: limited system of cable and open-wire
lines, minor microwave radio relay links, and radiotelephone
communications stations; mobile-cellular services expanding rapidly
domestic: Mauritel, the national telecommunications company, was
privatized in 2001 but remains the monopoly provider of fixed-line
services; fixed-line teledensity 2 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular
network coverage extends mainly to urban areas with a teledensity of
60 per 100 persons; mostly cable and open-wire lines; a domestic
satellite telecommunications system links Nouakchott with regional
capitals
international: country code - 222; satellite earth stations - 3 (1
Intelsat - Atlantic Ocean, 2 Arabsat) (2008)
Mauritius
general assessment: small system with good service
domestic: monopoly over fixed-line services terminated in 2005;
fixed-line teledensity roughly 30 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular
services launched in 1989 with teledensity in 2008 reaching 80 per
100 persons
international: country code - 230; landing point for the SAFE
submarine cable that provides links to Asia and South Africa where
it connects to the SAT-3/WASC submarine cable that provides further
links to parts of East Africa, and Europe; satellite earth station -
1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); new microwave link to Reunion; HF
radiotelephone links to several countries (2008)
Mayotte
general assessment: small system administered by French
Department of Posts and Telecommunications
domestic: NA
international: country code - 262; microwave radio relay and HF
radiotelephone communications to Comoros
Mexico
general assessment: adequate telephone service for business
and government, but the population is poorly served; mobile
subscribers far outnumber fixed-line subscribers; domestic satellite
system with 120 earth stations; extensive microwave radio relay
network; considerable use of fiber-optic cable and coaxial cable
domestic: low telephone density with about 19 fixed lines per 100
persons; privatized in December 1990; despite the opening to
competition in January 1997, Telmex remains dominant; legal
challenges to Telmex's alleged anti-competitive behavior in the
mobile and fixed-line markets culminated in a World Trade
Organization ruling in 2004 against Mexico prompting some
strengthening of the powers granted Mexico's telecom regulator;
mobile cellular teledensity approaching 70 per 100 persons
international: country code - 52; Columbus-2 fiber-optic submarine
cable with access to the US, Virgin Islands, Canary Islands, Spain,
and Italy; the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and
the MAYA-1 submarine cable system together provide access to Central
America, parts of South America and the Caribbean, and the US;
satellite earth stations - 120 (32 Intelsat, 2 Solidaridad (giving
Mexico improved access to South America, Central America, and much
of the US as well as enhancing domestic communications), 1 Panamsat,
numerous Inmarsat mobile earth stations); linked to Central American
Microwave System of trunk connections (2008)