Communications in Greece
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Telecommunications
OTE is the main player in fixed-line telephony. There are also some smaller companies as Vivodi and Q-telecom.
Telephones - main lines in use: 5.431 million (1997).
Telephone system:
- adequate, modern networks reach all areas; microwave radio relay carries most traffic; extensive open-wire network; submarine cables to off-shore islands
- domestic: microwave radio relay, open wire, and submarine cable
- international: tropospheric scatter; 8 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region)
Mobile Telecommunications
Greece has four mobile telecom companies; Cosmote, Vodafone, TIM and Q-Telecom.
Number of active lines: 10,876,544 (Sept 2003), which means more than 100% market penetration.
Satellite Telecommunications
Greece owns one Telecommunications Satellite, named Hellasat, witch provides telecommunication services in a major part of Eastern Europe and Western Asia.
Internet
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 23 (1999) Country code (Top-level domain): .gr
Mass Media
Radio broadcast stations: The state radio and television broadcasting agency is ERT (Elliniki Radiofonia kai Tileorasi - Greek Radio & Television). The station owns 3 national television stations, ET-1, NET (Nea Elliniki Tileorasi) and ET-3 which is based out of Thessaloniki. ERT also operates 7 national radio stations, including ERA 5, the Voice of Greece, which broadcasts internationally via shortwave. ERT is based in Athens.
The first non-pirate private radio station to broadcast in Greece was Athena 9,84 FM, in 1987. Private television began in November, 1989 when Mega Channel began operating. Today, over 1,000 radio stations and approximately 150 television stations broadcast in Greece. Digital satellite broadcasting began in 1999 by a company called Nova.
Radios: 5.02 million (1997) Television broadcast stations:64 (plus about 1,000 low-power repeaters); also two stations in the US Armed Forces Network (1999) Televisions: 2.54 million (1997)
Post
ELTA is the state-owned postal service provider of Greece.