Communications in Azerbaijan
Encyclopedia
The Azerbaijan
economy has been markedly stronger in recent years and, not surprisingly, the country has been making progress in developing its telecoms sector. Nonetheless, it still faces problems. These include poor infrastructure and an immature telecom regulatory regime. The Ministry of Communications & Information Technologies
(MCIT), as well as being an operator through its role in Aztelekom, is both a policy-maker and regulator. A boom in oil and gas exports has boosted the economy, reducing the country’s dependence on international aid.
s - main lines in use: 1,254,000 (2007)
country comparison to the world: 71
Telephones - mobile cellular: 4,300,000 (2007)
country comparison to the world: 85
Telephone system:
Azerbaijan's telephone system is a combination of old Soviet
era technology used by Azerbaijani citizens and small- to medium-size commercial establishments, and modern cellular telephones used by an increasing middle class, large commercial ventures, international companies, and most government officials; the average citizen waits on a 200,000-person list for telephone service; Internet and e-mail service are available in all major cities and some remote towns.
general assessment: inadequate; requires considerable expansion and modernization; teledensity of 15 main lines per 100 persons is low; mobile-cellular penetration is increasing and is currently about 50 telephones per 100 persons.
domestic: local - the majority of telephones are in Baku or other industrial centers - about 700 villages still do not have public telephone service; intercity; all long distance service must use Azertel's (Ministry of Communications) lines; satellite service connects Baku to a modern switch in its separated enclave of Nakhchivan.
international: the old Soviet system of cable and microwave is still serviceable; satellite service between Baku and Turkey
provides access to 200 countries; additional satellite providers supply services between Baku and specific countries; Azerbaijan is a signator of the Trans-Asia-Europe Fiber-Optic Line (TAE); their lines are not laid but a Turkish satellite and a microwave link between Azerbaijan and Iran
could provide Azerbaijan worldwide access
broadcast stations:
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
economy has been markedly stronger in recent years and, not surprisingly, the country has been making progress in developing its telecoms sector. Nonetheless, it still faces problems. These include poor infrastructure and an immature telecom regulatory regime. The Ministry of Communications & Information Technologies
Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (Azerbaijan)
The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology is an Azerbaijani governmental agency within the Cabinet of Azerbaijan in charge of regulation of the communications sector and development of information technologies in the country...
(MCIT), as well as being an operator through its role in Aztelekom, is both a policy-maker and regulator. A boom in oil and gas exports has boosted the economy, reducing the country’s dependence on international aid.
Telephones
TelephoneTelephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
s - main lines in use: 1,254,000 (2007)
country comparison to the world: 71
Telephones - mobile cellular: 4,300,000 (2007)
country comparison to the world: 85
Telephone system:
Azerbaijan's telephone system is a combination of old Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
era technology used by Azerbaijani citizens and small- to medium-size commercial establishments, and modern cellular telephones used by an increasing middle class, large commercial ventures, international companies, and most government officials; the average citizen waits on a 200,000-person list for telephone service; Internet and e-mail service are available in all major cities and some remote towns.
general assessment: inadequate; requires considerable expansion and modernization; teledensity of 15 main lines per 100 persons is low; mobile-cellular penetration is increasing and is currently about 50 telephones per 100 persons.
domestic: local - the majority of telephones are in Baku or other industrial centers - about 700 villages still do not have public telephone service; intercity; all long distance service must use Azertel's (Ministry of Communications) lines; satellite service connects Baku to a modern switch in its separated enclave of Nakhchivan.
international: the old Soviet system of cable and microwave is still serviceable; satellite service between Baku and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
provides access to 200 countries; additional satellite providers supply services between Baku and specific countries; Azerbaijan is a signator of the Trans-Asia-Europe Fiber-Optic Line (TAE); their lines are not laid but a Turkish satellite and a microwave link between Azerbaijan and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
could provide Azerbaijan worldwide access
Radio
RadioRadio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
broadcast stations:
- ARAZ - FM 103.3
- Antenn - FM 101 MHz
- ANS ChMANS ChMANS Radio or ANS ChM is a private news and music radio station located in Baku, Azerbaijan, which broadcasts on the 102 frequency. The station also streams content over the Internet for free...
- FM 102 MHz - Space - FM 104 MHz
- Media FM - FM 105.5 MHz
- Azad Azerbaijan FM - FM 106 MHz
- Lider - FM 107 MHz
- Radios: 175,000 (1997)
Television
- TelevisionTelevisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
broadcast stations: 7 (2005) 4 more ordered for 2006 and 2007 - Televisions: 170,000 (1997)
Internet
- InternetInternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
Service Providers (ISPs): 15 (2005) 29 (2009) - Country codeCountry codeCountry codes are short alphabetic or numeric geographical codes developed to represent countries and dependent areas, for use in data processing and communications. Several different systems have been developed to do this. The best known of these is ISO 3166-1...
: AZE - Internet TLD: .az
- InternetInternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
Hosts: 6,995 (2008) 8,921 (December 2009) - country comparison to the world: 117
- InternetInternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
Users: 1.500,000 (2009) - country comparison to the world: 82
- InternetInternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
Penetration: 8.47% (2005)
See also
- Telecommunication Companies in Azerbaijan
- AzerbaijanAzerbaijanAzerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
- Economy of AzerbaijanEconomy of AzerbaijanAzerbaijan is an economy that has completed its post-Soviet transition into a major oil based economy , from one where the state played the major role...
- Azerbaijan Companies