tment with the "Telecommunications
Liberalization Plan of 1998," Argentina encouraged the growth of
modern telecommunication technology; fiber-optic cable trunk lines
are being installed between all major cities; the major networks are
entirely digital and the availability of telephone service is being
improved; however, telephone density is presently minimal, and
making telephone service universally available will take time
domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber-optic cable, and a domestic
satellite system with 40 earth stations serve the trunk network;
more than 110,000 pay telephones are installed and mobile telephone
use is rapidly expanding
international: country code - 54; satellite earth stations - 8
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); Atlantis II and Unisur submarine cables;
two international gateways near Buenos Aires (1999)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 260 (including 10 inactive stations), FM NA (probably more than
1,000, mostly unlicensed), shortwave 6 (1998)

Radios:
24.3 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
42 (plus 444 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
7.95 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.ar

Internet hosts:
742,358 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
33 (2000)

Internet users:
4.1 million (2002)

Transportation Argentina

Railways:
total: 34,091 km (167 km electrified)
broad gauge: 20,594 km 1.676-m gauge (141 km electrified)
standard gauge: 2,885 km 1.435-m gauge (26 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 10,375 km 1.000-m gauge; 237 km 0.750-m gauge (2004)

Highways:
total: 215,471 km
paved: 63,348 km (including 734 km of expressways)
unpaved: 152,123 km (1999)

Waterways:
11,000 km (2004)

Pipelines:
gas 27,166 km; liquid petroleum gas 41 km; oil 3,668 km; refined
products 2,945 km; unknown (oil/water) 13 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Concepcion del Uruguay, La Plata, Punta
Colorada, Rosario, San Lorenzo-San Martin, San Nicolas

Merchant marine:
total: 26 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 149,007 GRT/212,620 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 9, chemical tanker 1, passenger 1,
passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 7, refrigerated cargo 2, roll
on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: 2 (Chile 1, Uruguay 1)
registered in other countries: 23 (2005)

Airports:
1,334 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 144
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 26
1,524