Telecommunications in Austria
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. Infrastructure The telephone system is highly developed and efficient. Fibre-optic coverage is extensive, although it remains very expensive. A full range of telephone and Internet services are available via the network. Austria has 15 satellite earth stations, two Intelsat (one Atlantic Ocean and one Indian Ocean) and one Eutelsat. Additionally, there are around 600 very-small-aperture terminals (VSATs) (2007). Telephones International calling code: 43 Fixed line phones 3.4 million fixed line phones, 47th in the world (2011). The majority of fixed lines are analogue, with Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) lines for the remainder. Fixed-line subscribership has been in decline since the mid-1990s and was eclipsed by mobile-cellular in the late 1990s. Mobile phones 7.6 million mobile phone lines in use, 60th in the world (2011). The Austrian mobile phone market is highly competitive, with some of the lowest 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. Mobile number portability was introduced in 2008, allowing users