Like the postal system, the telephone system in Algeria is substandard. Overseas calls can take hours to put through, particularly those made outside the capital city of Algiers.
There are public telephone exchanges usually in or beside the Post Office.
Telephones - main lines in use: 1.176 million (1995).
Telephones - mobile cellular: 33,500 (1999)
Domestic: good service in north but sparse in south; domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations (20 additional domestic earth stations are planned)
International: 5 submarine cables; microwave radio relay to Italy, France, Spain, Morocco and Tunisia. Coaxial cable to Morocco and Tunisia; participant in Medarabtel; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik, and 1 Arabsat