Telephones: 2.55 million (October 1998)

Telephone system: the Ministry of Telecommunications controls all telecommunications through its carrier (a joint stock company) Beltelcom which is a monopoly
domestic: local—Minsk has a digital metropolitan network and a cellular NMT-450 network; waiting lists for telephones are long; local service outside Minsk is neglected and poor; intercity—Belarus has a partly developed fiber-optic backbone system presently serving at least 13 major cities (1998); Belarus's fiber optics form synchronous digital hierarchy rings through other countries' systems; an inadequate analog system remains operational
international: Belarus is a member of the Trans-European Line (TEL), Trans-Asia-Europe Fiber-Optic Line (TAE) and has access to the Trans-Siberia Line (TSL); three fiber-optic segments provide connectivity to Latvia, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine; worldwide service is available to Belarus due to this infrastructure; additional analog lines to Russia; Intelsat, Eutelsat and Intersputnik earth stations

Radio broadcast stations: AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11

Radios: 3.17 million (1991 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 17 (1997); note—Belarus has a state-run television broadcasting network; independent local television stations exist

Televisions: 9,686,854 (1996)