Communications in Armenia

This article is about communications systems in Armenia.

Telephone

There are two telephone companies in Armenia: Beeline, which holds all fixed-line and 30% of cellular networks, and MTS, which holds 70% of cellular networks.

Main line telephones in use: 900,000 (2008)
Cellular telephones in use: 2,200,000 (2008)
Mobile networks: Beeline has around 550,000 subscribers, MTS around 1,750,000.
Telephone system: All of system is privatised. Undergoing modernization and expansion.
Domestic: 80% of all main lines are digitized and provide quality services for the region. Remaining 20% is in modernization process. Telephone network is also in technological convergence process, which Beeline is going to complete in 2009. Cellular networks also provide high-quality services, including GPRS, EDGE.

3G service is announced by Beeline on summer of 2008. MTS is going to annonce this service on end of 2008.
International: Yerevan is connected to the Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic cable via Iran. Additional international service is available by microwave radio relay and landline connections to other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Moscow international switch and by satellite. Satellite Earth stations - 1 Intelsat.

Radio

Radio Broadcast Stations: AM 9, FM 17, shortwave 1 (2008)
Radios: 850,000 (1997)

Television

Television Broadcast Stations: 23 (2008)
Televisions: 825,000 (1997)

Internet

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 40 (2007)
Internet users: 0.15 million (2007)
Country code: AM

Arminco's only fiber optic connection to the Internet enters Armenia through Georgia (via Marneuli)^[1] and then connects to the rest of the Internet via an undersea fiber-optic cable in the Black Sea.^[2] Armenia is connected to the Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic cable system via Georgia, which runs along the railroad from Poti to Tbilisi to the Armenian border near Marneuli.^[3] At Poti, the TAE cable connects to the undersea Georgia-Russia system KAFOS which then connects to the Black Sea Fiber Optic Cable System.^[4] The BSFOCS is co-owned by Armentel.^[5] (A map of the system can be found at the BSFOCS site here.)

Dial-up

Major way to connecting to internet is dial-up. This caused by very high prices of internet access, and only very few people can use other types of connections. Average price for an hour dial-up internet access is about 48 cents, plus 20 cents for using phone line (summary 68 cents per hour).

ADSL is also available.

ADSL

Because of only Beeline provides main fixed-line telephone newtork, it has, in fact, monopoly on ADSL service. So, this type of internet access is very expensive in country. Also, summary bandwidth of incoming fiber-optic cables of country is slow, and there is local-loop unbundling problem in country. All this reasons make DSL access is an object of natural monopoly.

Unlimited ADSL appeared in country in May, 2008, provided by Beeline. This include:

128/32 by $25

256/64 by $40

512/128 by $65

1024/128 by $99.

References

• This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.

Notes

See also

• Armenia
• Arminco - Armenian internet service provider

External links

• iNeti.net Commercial internet service provider (ISP) in Armenia established in 2007. Provides a wide range of internet services including 1.2 Megabit connectivity, web design, domain registration, web hosting, DSL, and Wi-Fi throughout Yerevan.

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