Short facts about communications in Argentina

Telephones - main lines in use:

7.5 million (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

3 million (December 1999)

Telephone system:

general assessment:  by opening the telecommunications market to competition and foreign investment with the "Telecommunications Liberalization Plan of 1998", Argentina encouraged the growth of modern telecommunication technology; fiber-optic cable trunk lines are being installed between all major cities; the major networks are entirely digital and the availability of telephone service is being improved; however, telephone density is presently minimal, and making telephone service universally available will take some time domestic:  microwave radio relay, fiber-optic cable, and a domestic satellite system with 40 earth stations serve the trunk network; more than 110,000 pay telephones are installed and mobile telephone use is rapidly expanding international:  satellite earth stations - 8 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); Atlantis II and Unisur submarine cables; two international gateways near Buenos Aires (1999)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 260 (including 10 inactive stations), FM NA (probably more than 1,000, mostly unlicensed), shortwave 6 (1998)

Radios:

24.3 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

42 (plus 444 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

7.95 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.ar

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

33 (2000)

Internet users:

900,000 (2000)

Source: World Factbook