Cayman Islands
general assessment: reasonably good system
domestic: liberalization of telecom market in 2003; introduction of
competition in the mobile-cellular market in 2004
international: country code - 1-345; landing points for the MAYA-1,
Eastern Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS), and the Cayman-Jamaica Fiber
System submarine cables that provide links to the US and parts of
Central and South America; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Central African Republic
general assessment: network consists
principally of microwave radio relay and low-capacity, low-powered
radiotelephone communication
domestic: limited telephone service with less than 1 fixed-line
connection per 100 persons; spurred by the presence of multiple
mobile-cellular service providers, cellular usage is increasing from
a low base; most fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone services
are concentrated in Bangui
international: country code - 236; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008)
Chad
general assessment: inadequate system of radiotelephone
communication stations with high costs and low telephone density
domestic: fixed-line connections for only about 1 per 1000 persons
coupled with mobile-cellular subscribership base of only about 25
per 100 persons
international: country code - 235; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2009)
Chile
general assessment: privatization begun in 1988; most advanced
telecommunications infrastructure in South America; modern system
based on extensive microwave radio relay facilities; domestic
satellite system with 3 earth stations
domestic: number of fixed-line connections have stagnated in recent
years as mobile-cellular usage continues to increase, reaching a
level of 100 telephones per 100 persons
international: country code - 56; landing points for the Pan
American, South America-1, and South American Crossing/Latin America
Nautilius submarine cables providing links to the US and to Central
and South America; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean) (2009)
China
general assessment: domestic and international services are
increasingly available for private use; unevenly distributed
domestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and
many towns; China continues to develop its telecommunications
infrastructure, and is partnering with foreign providers to expand
its global reach; China in the summer of 2008 began a major
restructuring of its telecommunications industry, resulting in the
consolidation of its six telecom service operators to three, China
Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom, each providing both
fixed-line and mobile services
domestic: interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular
telephone systems have been installed; mobile-cellular
subscribership is increasing rapidly; the number of Internet users
exceeded 250 million by summer 2008; a domestic satellite system
with 55 earth stations is in place
international: country code - 86; a number of submarine cables
provide connectivity to Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the US;
satellite earth stations - 7 (5 Intelsat - 4 Pacific Ocean and 1
Indian Ocean; 1 Intersputnik - Indian Ocean region; and 1 Inmarsat -
Pacific and Indian Ocean regions) (2008)
Christmas Island
general assessment: service provided by the
Australian network
domestic: GSM mobile-cellular 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 with a
nationwide microwave radio relay system, a domestic satellite system
with 41 earth stations, and a fiber-optic network linking 50 cities;
telecommunications sector liberalized during the 1990s; multiple
providers of both fixed-line and mobile-cellular services
domestic: fixed-line connections stand at about 15 per 100 persons;
mobile cellular telephone subscribership is about 90 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
international: country code - 57; landing points for the ARCOS,
Colombia-Florida Subsea Fiber (CFX-1), Maya-1, Pan American, and the
South America-1 submarine cables providing 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) (2009)
Comoros
general assessment: sparse system of microwave radio relay
and HF radiotelephone communication stations
domestic: fixed-line connections only about 3 per 100 persons;
mobile cellular usage about 15 per 100 persons
international: country code - 269; HF radiotelephone communications
to Madagascar and Reunion
Congo, Democratic Republic of the general assessment: barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations; inadequate fixed line infrastructure domestic: state-owned operator providing less than 1 fixed-line connection per 1000 persons; given the backdrop of a wholly inadequate fixed-line infrastructure, the use of mobile-cellular services has surged and subscribership in 2009 exceeded 10 million - roughly 15 per 100 persons international: country code - 243; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2009)