ports not covered
by the official rate

Fiscal year: 21 March--20 March

Communications

Telephones: 8,991,797 (1997 est.)

Telephone system:
domestic: 25 regional telecommunications authorities created in
1996; these authorities are responsible for implementing paging
services and cellular systems; microwave radio relay extends
throughout the country with the system centered in Tehran; system is
moving toward digitization and direct-dial capability; 255
long-distance circuits (1999 est.); 366 telephone exchanges (1995
est.); 204,400 microwave channels (1996 est.); 230,000 cellular
telephone subscribers (1997 est.); 3,930 pager subscribers (1995
est.)
international: 13,985 international circuits (1999 est.) with a plan
to reach 14,000 by March 1999; satellite earth stations--9 Intelsat
(with 50 terminals) and 4 Inmarsat; HF radio and microwave radio
relay to Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan,
Syria, Kuwait, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; submarine fiber-optic
cable to UAE with access to Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe
(FLAG); Trans Asia Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line runs from
Azerbaijan through the northern portion of Iran to Turkmenistan with
expansion to Georgia and Azerbaijan; four Internet service providers
as of 1997 with the number increasing (service limited to electronic
mail to promote Iranian culture)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 72, FM 6, shortwave 5 (1998 est.)

Radios: 13 million (1999 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 28 (in addition, there are 450
low-power repeaters, all government controlled) (1997)

Televisions: 7 million (1999 est.)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 7,286 km
broad gauge: 94 km 1.676-m gauge
standard gauge: 7,192 km 1.435-m gauge (146 km electrified) (1996
est.)

Highways:
total: 162,000 km
paved: 81,000 km (including 470 km of expressways)
unpaved: 81,000 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 904 km; the Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by
maritime traffic for about 130 km; channel has been dredged to 3 m
and is in use

Pipelines: crude oil 5,900 km; petroleum products 3,900 km;
natural gas 4,550 km

Ports and harbors: Abadan (largely destroyed in fighting during
1980-88 war), Ahvaz, Bandar 'Abbas, Bandar-e Anzali, Bushehr,
Bandar-e Imam Khomeyni, Bandar-e Lengeh, Bandar-e Mahshahr, Bandar-e
Torkaman, Chabahar (Bandar Beheshti), Jazireh-ye Khark, Jazireh-ye