Part 370
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 18 years of age; universal
Faroe Islands 18 years of age; universal
Fiji 21 years of age; universal
Finland 18 years of age; universal
France 18 years of age; universal
French Polynesia 18 years of age; universal
Gabon 21 years of age; universal
Gambia, The 18 years of age; universal
Georgia 18 years of age; universal
Germany 18 years of age; universal
Ghana 18 years of age; universal
Gibraltar 18 years of age; universal; and British citizens who have been residents six months or more
Greece 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Greenland 18 years of age; universal
Grenada 18 years of age; universal
Guam 18 years of age; universal; US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Guatemala 18 years of age; universal; note - active duty members of the armed forces may not vote and are restricted to their barracks on election day
Guernsey 16 years of age; universal
Guinea 18 years of age; universal
Guinea-Bissau 18 years of age; universal
Guyana 18 years of age; universal
Haiti 18 years of age; universal
Holy See (Vatican City) limited to cardinals less than 80 years old
Honduras 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Hong Kong direct election - 18 years of age for half the legislature and a majority of seats in 18 district councils; universal for permanent residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years indirect election - limited to about 220,000 members of functional constituencies for the other half of the legislature and an 800-member election committee for the chief executive drawn from broad sectoral groupings, central government bodies, and municipal organizations
Hungary 18 years of age; universal
Iceland 18 years of age; universal
India 18 years of age; universal
Indonesia 17 years of age; universal and married persons regardless of age
Iran 18 years of age; universal
Iraq 18 years of age; universal
Ireland 18 years of age; universal
Isle of Man 16 years of age; universal
Israel 18 years of age; universal
Italy 18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial elections, where minimum age is 25)
Jamaica 18 years of age; universal
Japan 20 years of age; universal
Jersey 16 years of age; universal
Jordan 18 years of age; universal
Kazakhstan 18 years of age; universal
Kenya 18 years of age; universal
Kiribati 18 years of age; universal
Korea, North 17 years of age; universal
Korea, South 19 years of age; universal
Kosovo 18 years of age; universal
Kuwait 21 years of age; universal (adult); note - males in the military or police are not allowed to vote; adult females were allowed to vote as of 16 May 2005; all voters must have been citizens for 20 years
Kyrgyzstan 18 years of age; universal
Laos 18 years of age; universal
Latvia 18 years of age; universal for Latvian citizens
Lebanon 21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education; excludes military personnel
Lesotho 18 years of age; universal
Liberia 18 years of age; universal
Libya 18 years of age; universal and technically compulsory
Liechtenstein 18 years of age; universal
Lithuania 18 years of age; universal
Luxembourg 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Macau direct election 18 years of age for some non-executive positions, universal for permanent residents living in Macau for the past seven years; indirect election limited to organizations registered as "corporate voters" (257 are currently registered) and a 300-member Election Committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies
Macedonia 18 years of age; universal
Madagascar 18 years of age; universal
Malawi 18 years of age; universal
Malaysia 21 years of age; universal
Maldives 18 years of age; universal
Mali 18 years of age; universal
Malta 18 years of age; universal
Marshall Islands 18 years of age; universal
Mauritania 18 years of age; universal
Mauritius 18 years of age; universal
Mayotte 18 years of age; universal
Mexico 18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced)
Micronesia, Federated States of 18 years of age; universal
Moldova 18 years of age; universal
Monaco 18 years of age; universal
Mongolia 18 years of age; universal
Montenegro 18 years of age; universal
Montserrat 18 years of age; universal
Morocco 18 years of age; universal
Mozambique 18 years of age; universal
Namibia 18 years of age; universal
Nauru 20 years of age; universal and compulsory
Nepal 18 years of age; universal
Netherlands 18 years of age; universal
New Caledonia 18 years of age; universal
New Zealand 18 years of age; universal
Nicaragua 16 years of age; universal
Niger 18 years of age; universal
Nigeria 18 years of age; universal
Niue 18 years of age; universal
Norfolk Island 18 years of age; universal
Northern Mariana Islands 18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Norway 18 years of age; universal
Oman 21 years of age; universal; note - members of the military and security forces are not allowed to vote
Pakistan 18 years of age; universal; joint electorates and reserved parliamentary seats for women and non-Muslims
Palau 18 years of age; universal
Panama 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Papua New Guinea 18 years of age; universal
Paraguay 18 years of age; universal and compulsory up to age 75
Peru 18 years of age; universal and compulsory until the age of 70
Philippines 18 years of age; universal
Pitcairn Islands 18 years of age; universal with three years residency
Poland 18 years of age; universal
Portugal 18 years of age; universal
Puerto Rico 18 years of age; universal; island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Qatar 18 years of age; universal
Romania 18 years of age; universal
Russia 18 years of age; universal
Rwanda 18 years of age; universal
Saint Barthelemy 18 years of age, universal
Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha NA
Saint Kitts and Nevis 18 years of age; universal
Saint Lucia 18 years of age; universal
Saint Martin 18 years of age, universal
Saint Pierre and Miquelon 18 years of age; universal
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 18 years of age; universal
Samoa 21 years of age; universal
San Marino 18 years of age; universal
Sao Tome and Principe 18 years of age; universal
Saudi Arabia 21 years of age; male
Senegal 18 years of age; universal
Serbia 18 years of age; universal
Seychelles 17 years of age; universal
Sierra Leone 18 years of age; universal
Singapore 21 years of age; universal and compulsory
Sint Maarten 18 years of age; universal
Slovakia 18 years of age; universal
Slovenia 18 years of age, 16 if employed; universal
Solomon Islands 21 years of age; universal
Somalia 18 years of age; universal
South Africa 18 years of age; universal
Spain 18 years of age; universal
Sri Lanka 18 years of age; universal
Sudan 17 years of age; universal
Suriname 18 years of age; universal
Swaziland 18 years of age
Sweden 18 years of age; universal
Switzerland 18 years of age; universal
Syria 18 years of age; universal
Taiwan 20 years of age; universal
Tajikistan 18 years of age; universal
Tanzania 18 years of age; universal
Thailand 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Timor-Leste 17 years of age; universal
Togo 18 years of age; universal (adult)
Tokelau 21 years of age; universal
Tonga 21 years of age; universal
Trinidad and Tobago 18 years of age; universal
Tunisia 18 years of age; universal except for active government security forces (including the police and the military), people with mental disabilities, people who have served more than three months in prison (criminal cases only), and people given a suspended sentence of more than six months
Turkey 18 years of age; universal
Turkmenistan 18 years of age; universal
Turks and Caicos Islands 18 years of age; universal
Tuvalu 18 years of age; universal
Uganda 18 years of age; universal
Ukraine 18 years of age; universal
United Arab Emirates none
United Kingdom 18 years of age; universal
United States 18 years of age; universal
Uruguay 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Uzbekistan 18 years of age; universal
Vanuatu 18 years of age; universal
Venezuela 18 years of age; universal
Vietnam 18 years of age; universal
Virgin Islands 18 years of age; universal; island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Wallis and Futuna 18 years of age; universal
Western Sahara none; (residents of Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara participate in Moroccan elections)
Yemen 18 years of age; universal
Zambia 18 years of age; universal
Zimbabwe 18 years of age; universal
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Field Listing :: Telephone system
This entry includes a brief general assessment of the system with details on the domestic and international components. The following terms and abbreviations are used throughout the entry: Arabsat - Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia). Autodin - Automatic Digital Network (US Department of Defense). CB - citizen's band mobile radio communications. Cellular telephone system - the telephones in this system are radio transceivers, with each instrument having its own private radio frequency and sufficient radiated power to reach the booster station in its area (cell), from which the telephone signal is fed to a telephone exchange. Central American Microwave System - a trunk microwave radio relay system that links the countries of Central America and Mexico with each other. Coaxial cable - a multichannel communication cable consisting of a central conducting wire, surrounded by and insulated from a cylindrical conducting shell; a large number of telephone channels can be made available within the insulated space by the use of a large number of carrier frequencies. Comsat - Communications Satellite Corporation (US). DSN - Defense Switched Network (formerly Automatic Voice Network or Autovon); basic general-purpose, switched voice network of the Defense Communications System (US Department of Defense). Eutelsat - European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Paris). Fiber-optic cable - a multichannel communications cable using a thread of optical glass fibers as a transmission medium in which the signal (voice, video, etc.) is in the form of a coded pulse of light. GSM - a global system for mobile (cellular) communications devised by the Groupe Special Mobile of the pan-European standardization organization, Conference Europeanne des Posts et Telecommunications (CEPT) in 1982. HF - high frequency; any radio frequency in the 3,000- to 30,000-kHz range. Inmarsat - International Maritime Satellite Organization (London); provider of global mobile satellite communications for commercial, distress, and safety applications at sea, in the air, and on land. Intelsat - International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Washington, DC). Intersputnik - International Organization of Space Communications (Moscow); first established in the former Soviet Union and the East European countries, it is now marketing its services worldwide with earth stations in North America, Africa, and East Asia. Landline - communication wire or cable of any sort that is installed on poles or buried in the ground. Marecs - Maritime European Communications Satellite used in the Inmarsat system on lease from the European Space Agency. Marisat - satellites of the Comsat Corporation that participate in the Inmarsat system. Medarabtel - the Middle East Telecommunications Project of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) providing a modern telecommunications network, primarily by microwave radio relay, linking Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen; it was initially started in Morocco in 1970 by the Arab Telecommunications Union (ATU) and was known at that time as the Middle East Mediterranean Telecommunications Network. Microwave radio relay - transmission of long distance telephone calls and television programs by highly directional radio microwaves that are received and sent on from one booster station to another on an optical path. NMT - Nordic Mobile Telephone; an analog cellular telephone system that was developed jointly by the national telecommunications authorities of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden). Orbita - a Russian television service; also the trade name of a packet-switched digital telephone network. Radiotelephone communications - the two-way transmission and reception of sounds by broadcast radio on authorized frequencies using telephone handsets. PanAmSat - PanAmSat Corporation (Greenwich, CT). SAFE - South African Far East Cable Satellite communication system - a communication system consisting of two or more earth stations and at least one satellite that provide long distance transmission of voice, data, and television; the system usually serves as a trunk connection between telephone exchanges; if the earth stations are in the same country, it is a domestic system. Satellite earth station - a communications facility with a microwave radio transmitting and receiving antenna and required receiving and transmitting equipment for communicating with satellites. Satellite link - a radio connection between a satellite and an earth station permitting communication between them, either one-way (down link from satellite to earth station - television receive-only transmission) or two-way (telephone channels). SHF - super high frequency; any radio frequency in the 3,000- to 30,000-MHz range. Shortwave - radio frequencies (from 1.605 to 30 MHz) that fall above the commercial broadcast band and are used for communication over long distances. Solidaridad - geosynchronous satellites in Mexico's system of international telecommunications in the Western Hemisphere. Statsionar - Russia's geostationary system for satellite telecommunications. Submarine cable - a cable designed for service under water. TAT - Trans-Atlantic Telephone; any of a number of high-capacity submarine coaxial telephone cables linking Europe with North America. Telefax - facsimile service between subscriber stations via the public switched telephone network or the international Datel network. Telegraph - a telecommunications system designed for unmodulated electric impulse transmission. Telex - a communication service involving teletypewriters connected by wire through automatic exchanges. Tropospheric scatter - a form of microwave radio transmission in which the troposphere is used to scatter and reflect a fraction of the incident radio waves back to earth; powerful, highly directional antennas are used to transmit and receive the microwave signals; reliable over-the-horizon communications are realized for distances up to 600 miles in a single hop; additional hops can extend the range of this system for very long distances. Trunk network - a network of switching centers, connected by multichannel trunk lines. UHF - ultra high frequency; any radio frequency in the 300- to 3,000-MHz range. VHF - very high frequency; any radio frequency in the 30- to 300-MHz range. Country
Telephone system
Afghanistan general assessment: limited fixed-line telephone service; an increasing number of Afghans utilize mobile-cellular phone networks domestic: aided by the presence of multiple providers, mobile-cellular telephone service continues to improve rapidly international: country code - 93; multiple VSAT's provide international and domestic voice and data connectivity (2009)
Albania general assessment: despite new investment in fixed lines teledensity remains low with roughly 10 fixed lines per 100 people; mobile-cellular telephone use is widespread and generally effective; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is now exceeds 100 per 100 persons domestic: offsetting the shortage of fixed line capacity, mobile-cellular phone service has been available since 1996; by 2003, two companies were providing mobile services at a greater teledensity than some of Albania's neighbors; Internet broadband services initiated in 2005; Internet cafes are popular in Tirana and have started to spread outside the capital international: country code - 355; submarine cable provides connectivity to Italy, Croatia, and Greece; the Trans-Balkan Line, a combination submarine cable and land fiber-optic system, provides additional connectivity to Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Turkey; international traffic carried by fiber-optic cable and, when necessary, by microwave radio relay from the Tirana exchange to Italy and Greece (2009)
Algeria general assessment: privatization of Algeria's telecommunications sector began in 2000; three mobile cellular licenses have been issued and, in 2005, a consortium led by Egypt's Orascom Telecom won a 15-year license to build and operate a fixed-line network in Algeria; the license will allow Orascom to develop high-speed data and other specialized services and contribute to meeting the large unfulfilled demand for basic residential telephony; Internet broadband services began in 2003 domestic: a limited network of fixed lines with a teledensity of less than 10 telephones per 100 persons is offset by the rapid increase in mobile-cellular subscribership; in 2009, combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity was roughly 100 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 213; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4 fiber-optic submarine cable system that provides links to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia; microwave radio relay to Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia; coaxial cable to Morocco and Tunisia; participant in Medarabtel; satellite earth stations - 51 (Intelsat, Intersputnik, and Arabsat) (2009)
American Samoa general assessment: NA domestic: good telex, telegraph, facsimile, and cellular telephone services; domestic satellite system with 1 Comsat earth station international: country code - 1-684; satellite earth station - 1 (Intelsat-Pacific Ocean)
Andorra general assessment: NA domestic: modern system with microwave radio relay connections between exchanges international: country code - 376; landline circuits to France and Spain
Angola general assessment: limited system; state-owned telecom had monopoly for fixed-lines until 2005; demand outstripped capacity, prices were high, and services poor; Telecom Namibia, through an Angolan company, became the first private licensed operator in Angola's fixed-line telephone network; by 2010, the number of fixed-line providers had expanded to 5; Angola Telecom established mobile-cellular service in Luanda in 1993 and the network has been extended to larger towns; a privately-owned, mobile-cellular service provider began operations in 2001 domestic: only about two fixed-lines per 100 persons; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity about 65 telephones per 100 persons in 2009 international: country code - 244; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 29 (2009)
Anguilla general assessment: NA domestic: modern internal telephone system international: country code - 1-264; landing point for the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad; microwave radio relay to island of Saint Martin/Sint Maarten (2007)
Antarctica general assessment: local systems at some research stations domestic: commercial cellular networks operating in a small number of locations international: country code - none allocated; via satellite (including mobile Inmarsat and Iridium systems) to and from all research stations, ships, aircraft, and most field parties (2007)
Antigua and Barbuda general assessment: NA domestic: good automatic telephone system international: country code - 1-268; landing points for the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) and the Global Caribbean Network (GCN) submarine cable systems with links to other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad; satellite earth stations - 2; tropospheric scatter to Saba (Netherlands) and Guadeloupe (France) (2007)
Argentina general assessment: the "Telecommunications Liberalization Plan of 1998" opened the telecommunications market to competition and foreign investment encouraging the growth of modern telecommunications technology; fiber-optic cable trunk lines are being installed between all major cities; major networks are entirely digital and the availability of telephone service is improving domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber-optic cable, and a domestic satellite system with 40 earth stations serve the trunk network; fixed-line teledensity is increasing gradually and mobile-cellular subscribership is increasing rapidly; broadband Internet services are gaining ground international: country code - 54; landing point for the Atlantis-2, UNISUR, South America-1, and South American Crossing/Latin American Nautilus submarine cable systems that provide links to Europe, Africa, South and Central America, and US; satellite earth stations - 112; 2 international gateways near Buenos Aires (2009)
Armenia general assessment: telecommunications investments have made major inroads in modernizing and upgrading the outdated telecommunications network inherited from the Soviet era; now 100% privately owned and undergoing modernization and expansion; mobile-cellular services monopoly terminated in late 2004 and a second provider began operations in mid-2005 domestic: reliable modern fixed-line and mobile-cellular services are available across Yerevan in major cities and towns; significant but ever-shrinking gaps remain in mobile-cellular coverage in rural areas international: country code - 374; Yerevan is connected to the Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic cable through Iran; additional international service is available by microwave radio relay and landline connections to the other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, through the Moscow international switch, and by satellite to the rest of the world; satellite earth stations - 3 (2008)
Aruba general assessment: modern fully automatic telecommunications system domestic: increased competition through privatization; 3 mobile-cellular service providers are now licensed international: country code - 297; landing site for the PAN-AM submarine telecommunications cable system that extends from the US Virgin Islands through Aruba to Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, and the west coast of South America; extensive interisland microwave radio relay links (2007)