Telecommunications Republic of Armenia
Landlines (2008):	650,000
Mobile lines (2009):	2.8 million
ccTLD Country code top-level domain A country code top-level domain is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, a sovereign state, or a dependent territory.... :	.am .am .am is the Internet country code top-level domain for Armenia.- Regulation :The registry for .am is operated by , the local chapter of the Internet Society.Regulatory notes:...
Calling code:	+374

This article is about telecommunications systems

Telecommunication

Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...

 in Armenia

Armenia

Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...

.

Telephone

There are three telephone companies in Armenia: Beeline

Beeline (telecommunications)

Beeline is the trademark of the third largest Russian telecommunication operator, VimpelCom . Its headquarters are located in Moscow. Beeline's brand was designed by Wolff Olins as a re-brand for their old corporate identity, assisted by Marina Willerr.-Activity:...

, which holds all fixed-line and 30% of cellular networks, and VivaCell-MTS, which holds 70% of cellular networks, and Orange. Beeline has around 550,000 mobile subscribers, and VivaCell-MTS has around 1,750,000, and Orange has around 250,000.

In Armenia, telecommunications investments have made major inroads in modernizing and upgrading the outdated telecommunications network inherited from the Soviet era. Currently, the system is 100% privately owned and undergoing modernization and expansion. Additionally, the mobile-cellular services monopoly terminated in late 2004 and a second provider began operations in mid-2005.

Domestic System

As of 2008, approximately 80% of all main lines are digitized and provide quality services for the region. The remaining 20% is in modernization process. Telephone network is also in technological convergence

Technological convergence

Technological convergence is the tendency for different technological systems to evolve towards performing similar tasks. Convergence can refer to previously separate technologies such as voice , data , and video that now share resources and interact with each other synergistically.The rise of...

 process, which Beeline is going to complete in 2009. Cellular networks also provide high-quality services, including GPRS, EDGE

Edge

- Aviation :* Leading edge, a line connecting the forward-most points of a wing's profile* Trailing edge, the rear edge of the wing* Zivko Edge 540, an aerobatic aircraft- Mathematics, science and technology :...

.

3G

3G

3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...

 service was announced by Beeline in the summer of 2008. VivaCell-MTS was going to announce this service at the end of 2008.

International System

Yerevan is connected to the Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic cable via Georgia. There is general plan to make better connection via Turkey, after opening Turkey-Armenian borders. Additional international service is available by microwave radio relay and landline connections to other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States

Commonwealth of Independent States

The Commonwealth of Independent States is a regional organization whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics, formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union....

, the Moscow international switch and by satellite.
Main backbones of Armenian networks are made by E3 or STM-1 lines via Microwave units across whole country with a lots-of passive retranslatations.

Radio

As of 2008, Armenia has 9 AM stations, 17 FM stations, and one shortwave station. Additionally, there are approximately 850,000 radios in existence.
Primary network provider is TRBNA

Television

Armenia has 48 private television stations alongside 2 public networks with major Russian channels widely available throughout the country. In year 2008 TRBNA upgraded main circuit to digital distribution system based on DVB-IP and MPEG2 standards.

Internet

There are approximately 1,400,000 Internet users and approximately 65,279 Internet hosts in Armenia. The country code (Top level domain) for Armenia is .am

.am

.am is the Internet country code top-level domain for Armenia.- Regulation :The registry for .am is operated by , the local chapter of the Internet Society.Regulatory notes:...

, which has been used for AM radio stations and for domain hacks.

Armentel's (the national communications company's) only fiber optic connection to the Internet enters Armenia through Georgia

Georgia (country)

Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...

 (via Marneuli

Marneuli

Marneuli is a small city in the Kvemo Kartli region of southern Georgia and administrative center of Marneuli District that borders neighboring Azerbaijan and Armenia.-Population:...

) and then connects to the rest of the Internet via an undersea fiber-optic cable in the Black Sea

Black Sea

The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...

. Armenia is connected to the Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic cable system via Georgia, which runs along the railroad from Poti to Tbilisi to the Armenian border near Marneuli. At Poti, the TAE cable connects to the undersea Georgia-Russia system KAFOS

KAFOS (cable system)

KAFOS is a submarine telecommunications cable system in the Black Sea linking Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey.It has landing points in:*Mangalia, Romania*Varna, Bulgaria*Istanbul, Turkey...

 which then connects to the Black Sea Fiber Optic Cable System. The BSFOCS is co-owned by Armentel.

Dial-up

A major way of connecting to the Internet used to be dial-up. This was caused by very high prices of Internet access, and only very few people could use other types of connections until Beeline, Vivacell MTS and Orange started selling portable USB-modems. The average price for one hour of dial-up Internet access is about 48 cents, plus 20 cents for using phone line (summary 68 cents per hour).

Broadband

As of March 2010, it is estimated that there are about 100,000 broadband subscribers in Armenia.

WiMAX

• Cornet launched a nationwide network in Yerevan
  Yerevan
  Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
  
   and 18 biggest cities of Armenia
  Armenia
  Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
  
  . It uses 802.16e protocol in the 3.6-3.8 GHz frequency diapason. It provides 27 Mbit/sec speed.
• Armenian ISP Icon Communications has selected Alcatel-Lucent to design, deploy and maintain a commercial WiMAX 802.16e-2005 (Rev-e) network in Armenia.

FTTH

• Ucom telecom company has built up the first FTTH (Fiber to the home) Network in Armenia providing convergent Triple play services including Internet, IPTV and Digital Phone services.

External links

• CityWiMax.Net Commercial Internet service provider (former ineti.net) (ISP) in Armenia established in 2007. Provides a wide range of Internet services including 1.2 Megabit connectivity, web design, domain registration, web hosting, DSL, and Wi-Fi throughout Yerevan.
• :ru:Список интернет-провайдеров Армении List of Internet providers in Armenia, russian