Communications in Austria
Encyclopedia
This article concerns the systems of telecommunication in Austria. Austria
has a highly developed and efficient telephone network, and has a number of radio and television broadcast stations. The country code
for Austria is "AT", the ccTLD is ".at".
connections. Additionally, there are 300 000 Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
s. In terms of mobile telecom, in 2005, there were 8,153,900 mobile telephones in use. There are 37 internet service provider
s in Austria, serving 3.7 million internet users.
The telephone system is well developed and efficient and domestically, there are 48 main lines to every 100 people. Fibre-optic coverage is extensive and a full range of telephone and internet services are available via the network. In terms of international communications, Austria has 2 Intelsat
satellite earth station
s (one Atlantic Ocean and one Indian Ocean), and one Eutelsat
satellite earth station. Additionally, there are around 600 very small aperture terminals, as of 2002.
Due to the geographical structures of Austria (Mountains, Flat lands, Lakes) many providers use it as a "Testing Range" for new services.
First Generation Networks
D-Netz by Austrian Telekom. This network was switched off at the end of the 1990s.
Second Generation Networks
There are three nationwide GSM networks which also support additional brands and MVNOs.
Third Generation Networks
Mobile number portability
has been introduced 2008, allowing users to retain their mobile phone numbers when switching between network operators. The original area codes allocated to each operator can no longer be used to determine which network a subscriber is registered with.
. However, mobile services employing UMTS/HSDPA are rapidly gaining ground due to fierce market competition. SDSL
and mobile phone
access is also available.
The main ISP's in Austria are: Telekom Austria http://www.telekom.at (incumbent), UPC http://www.upc.at, Tele2 http://www.tele2.at, and Kabelsignal http://www.kabelsignal.at offering cable services in the area around Vienna.
Some cable and DSL contracts offer reductions for university students.
Typical speeds received are up to 10Mbit download and 1Mbit upload over DSL, and up to 30Mbit Download and 2Mbit upload over cable.
Some ISPs offer up to 100Mbit speed over DOCSIS
3.0 or FTTH: UPC Fiber Power (In most bigger citys Austria wide, up to 100Mbit Download and 10Mbit Upload) over a FTTB variation with coaxial cable as inhouse cabling / Blizznet (in some districts of Vienna, up to 100Mbit Download and 100Mbit Upload) as Fiber to the Home.
Flatrates are the most common plans, a transfer limit does not exist at most ISPs.
and 1 shortwave
radio broadcast stations, with several hundred FM repeaters. In 1997, there were 6.08 million radios in Austria. In terms of television, there are 45 broadcast stations, with in excess of 1000 repeaters. These serve the 4.25 million televisions in the country (by 1997 figures).
The largest broadcasting cooperations are:
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
has a highly developed and efficient telephone network, and has a number of radio and television broadcast stations. The country code
Country code
Country 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...
for Austria is "AT", the ccTLD is ".at".
Telephone and Internet
As of 2004, Austria possesses around four million main telephone lines, of which 3.6 million are analogue main lines, with a further 400 000 Integrated Services Digital NetworkIntegrated Services Digital Network
Integrated Services Digital Network is a set of communications standards for simultaneous digital transmission of voice, video, data, and other network services over the traditional circuits of the public switched telephone network...
connections. Additionally, there are 300 000 Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
Asymmetric digital subscriber line is a type of digital subscriber line technology, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional voiceband modem can provide. It does this by utilizing frequencies that are not used by a voice...
s. In terms of mobile telecom, in 2005, there were 8,153,900 mobile telephones in use. There are 37 internet service provider
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
s in Austria, serving 3.7 million internet users.
The telephone system is well developed and efficient and domestically, there are 48 main lines to every 100 people. Fibre-optic coverage is extensive and a full range of telephone and internet services are available via the network. In terms of international communications, Austria has 2 Intelsat
Intelsat
Intelsat, Ltd. is a communications satellite services provider.Originally formed as International Telecommunications Satellite Organization , it was—from 1964 to 2001—an intergovernmental consortium owning and managing a constellation of communications satellites providing international broadcast...
satellite earth station
Satellite earth station
A ground station, earth station, or earth terminal is a terrestrial terminal station designed for extraplanetary telecommunication with spacecraft, and/or reception of radio waves from an astronomical radio source. Ground stations are located either on the surface of the Earth, or within Earth's...
s (one Atlantic Ocean and one Indian Ocean), and one Eutelsat
Eutelsat
Eutelsat S.A. is a French-based satellite provider. Providing coverage over the entire European continent, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant parts of Asia and the Americas, it is one of the world's three leading satellite operators in terms of revenues.Eutelsat’s satellites...
satellite earth station. Additionally, there are around 600 very small aperture terminals, as of 2002.
Mobile Phone Networks
The Austrian mobile phone market is highly competitive, with some of the cheapest rates in Europe.Due to the geographical structures of Austria (Mountains, Flat lands, Lakes) many providers use it as a "Testing Range" for new services.
First Generation Networks
D-Netz by Austrian Telekom. This network was switched off at the end of the 1990s.
Second Generation Networks
There are three nationwide GSM networks which also support additional brands and MVNOs.
- A1: originally mobilkom. It now runs a mixed GSM-900, GSM-1800 and UMTS network. Also provides service for MVNO's bob, B-free (owned by A1), and Red Bull Mobile.
- t-mobile: originally max mobil. It now runs a mixed GSM-900, GSM-1800 and UMTS network. Also marketed as telering as a separate brand.
- Orange: originally One (until September 2008). A mixed GSM-1800 and UMTS network. Also provides service for the MVNO known as Yess!
Third Generation Networks
- Drei (3): Owned by Hutchinson Whampoa, a Hong Kong based company and runs its own UMTS network.
Mobile number portability
Mobile number portability
Mobile number portability enables mobile telephone users to retain their mobile telephone numbers when changing from one mobile network operator to another.- General overview :MNP is implemented in different ways across the globe...
has been introduced 2008, allowing users to retain their mobile phone numbers when switching between network operators. The original area codes allocated to each operator can no longer be used to determine which network a subscriber is registered with.
Broadband Internet access
Internet in Austria is typically received over DSL and cableCable modem
A cable modem is a type of network bridge and modem that provides bi-directional data communication via radio frequency channels on a HFC and RFoG infrastructure. Cable modems are primarily used to deliver broadband Internet access in the form of cable Internet, taking advantage of the high...
. However, mobile services employing UMTS/HSDPA are rapidly gaining ground due to fierce market competition. SDSL
Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line
Symmetric digital subscriber line can have two meanings:* In the wider sense it is a collection of Internet access technologies based on DSL that offer symmetric bandwidth upstream and downstream...
and mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
access is also available.
The main ISP's in Austria are: Telekom Austria http://www.telekom.at (incumbent), UPC http://www.upc.at, Tele2 http://www.tele2.at, and Kabelsignal http://www.kabelsignal.at offering cable services in the area around Vienna.
Some cable and DSL contracts offer reductions for university students.
Typical speeds received are up to 10Mbit download and 1Mbit upload over DSL, and up to 30Mbit Download and 2Mbit upload over cable.
Some ISPs offer up to 100Mbit speed over DOCSIS
DOCSIS
Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification is an international telecommunications standard that permits the addition of high-speed data transfer to an existing cable TV system...
3.0 or FTTH: UPC Fiber Power (In most bigger citys Austria wide, up to 100Mbit Download and 10Mbit Upload) over a FTTB variation with coaxial cable as inhouse cabling / Blizznet (in some districts of Vienna, up to 100Mbit Download and 100Mbit Upload) as Fiber to the Home.
Flatrates are the most common plans, a transfer limit does not exist at most ISPs.
Radio and television
There are 2 AM, 160 FMFM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
and 1 shortwave
Shortwave
Shortwave radio refers to the upper MF and all of the HF portion of the radio spectrum, between 1,800–30,000 kHz. Shortwave radio received its name because the wavelengths in this band are shorter than 200 m which marked the original upper limit of the medium frequency band first used...
radio broadcast stations, with several hundred FM repeaters. In 1997, there were 6.08 million radios in Austria. In terms of television, there are 45 broadcast stations, with in excess of 1000 repeaters. These serve the 4.25 million televisions in the country (by 1997 figures).
The largest broadcasting cooperations are:
- ORF
- ATV: privately held
- Puls 4: privately held
- Servus TV: privately held
- Austria 9 TV: privately held