Russia: Communications

Telephones - main lines in use

35.5 million (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular

17,608,800 (2002)

Telephone system

general assessment: the telephone system underwent 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services, both analog and digital, are available in many areas; in rural areas, the telephone services are still outdated, inadequate, and low density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: country code - 7; 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; Russia also has responsibility for a legacy domain ".su" that was allocated to the Soviet Union, and whose legal status and ownership are contested by the Russian Government, ICANN, and several Russian commercial entities

Internet hosts

409,229 (2002)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

300 (June 2000)

Internet users

6 million (2002)