Telecommunications in Paraguay

Paraguay has a meager telecommunications sector. It has the lowest fixed-line telephone density in South America, with five lines per 100 residents, compared with 6.5 per 100 in Bolivia and more than 20 per 100 in Brazil and Argentina. Only 6 percent of the population has access to a landline connection. The state-owned Corporación Paraguaya de Comunicaciones (Copaco) is known for inefficiency and overstaffing. Privatization was attempted in 2002, but failed in the midst of the banking scandal. Paraguay’s meager telephone network has resulted in rapid growth for mobile phone companies. In 2004 mobile coverage for the country reached 34 percent. Four companies dominate the industry. As of 2003, there were 1.8 million mobile telephones in Paraguay. The number has likely increased since then.^[1]

Computers are scarce in Paraguay; only 6 percent of Paraguayans have a personal computer. Few Paraguayans (1.7 percent) have access to the Internet. In 2003 only about 120,000 Paraguayans were Internet users, and very little business is conducted over the Internet.^[1]

Telephones - main lines in use: 280,800 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 3,870,300 (2003)

Telephone system: is extremely deprived mear telephone service; principal switching center is Asunción
domestic: fair microwave radio relay network
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 46, FM 27, shortwave 6 (three inactive) (1998)

Radios: 4.475,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 8 (2003)

Televisions: 4.429,000 (1997)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 15 (2005) Camara Paraguaya de Internet

Country code (Top level domain): PY

'Internet hosts: 10,206 (2005)

Internet users: 1.950,000 (2005)

Internet provider: (examples) Click ADSL Tigo Hipuu Claro

See also

• Media of Paraguay

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Paraguay country profile. Library of Congress Federal Research Division (October 2005). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.