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Iraq - Communications (Facts)

Telephones - main lines in use: 1.547 million (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 8.7 million (2006) Telephone system: general assessment: the aftermath of the liberation of Iraq in 2003 severely disrupted telecommunications throughout Iraq including international connections; USAID repaired switching capabilities and constructed a mobile and satellite communication facility; landlines now exceed pre-war levels domestic: repairs to switches and lines destroyed during 2003 have been completed, but sabotage remains a problem; additional switching capacity is improving access; cellular service is widely available in major cities and centered on 3 regional GSM networks, improving country-wide connectivity; there are currently 8.7 million users of cellular services international: country code - 964; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Arabsat (inoperative); coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey; despite a new satellite gateway, international calls outside of Baghdad are sometimes problematic (2006) Radio broadcast stations: after 17 months of unregulated media growth, there are approximately 80 radio stations (types NA) on the air inside Iraq (2004) Television broadcast stations: 21 (2004) Internet country code: .iq Internet hosts: 5 (2006) Internet users: 36,000 (2004)