Short facts about communications in Russia

Telephones - main lines in use:

30 million (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

2.5 million (October 2000)

Telephone system:

general assessment:  the telephone system has undergone significant changes in the 1990s; there are more than 1,000 companies licensed to offer communication services; access to digital lines has improved, particularly in urban centers; Internet and e-mail services are improving; Russia has made progress toward building the telecommunications infrastructure necessary for a market economy; however, a large demand for main line service remains unsatisfied domestic:  cross-country digital trunk lines run from Saint Petersburg to Khabarovsk, and from Moscow to Novorossiysk; the telephone systems in 60 regional capitals have modern digital infrastructures; cellular services, both analog and digital, are available in many areas; in rural areas, the telephone services are still outdated, inadequate, and low density international:  Russia is connected internationally by three undersea fiber-optic cables; digital switches in several cities provide more than 50,000 lines for international calls; satellite earth stations provide access to Intelsat, Intersputnik, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and Orbita systems

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 420, FM 447, shortwave 56 (1998)

Radios:

61.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

7,306 (1998)

Televisions:

60.5 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.ru

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

35 (2000)

Internet users:

9.2 million (2000)

Source: World Factbook