General

In 2010, there were 193,200 mainline telephones in use, with an additional 2.51 million cellular phones in use. There are two land line telephone companies in Mongolia – Mongolia Telecom Company (MTC) and the Mongolian Railway Authority. MTC is a joint venture with Korea Telecom and partially publicly owned. MTC leases fibre-optic lines from the Mongolian Railway Authority and connects to all aimags and soums. The majority of MTC subscribers are in Ulan Bator. Mobile phones are very popular in the city as well as the countryside. Especially in the countryside, the government is preferring the installation of cell phone base stations over laying land lines, as cell phone base stations are easier to install. Mongolia's Communication Authority has announced a plan to connect all sum centre and a number of other settlements to cell phone services.

Radio broadcasting began in the MPR in 1934. Radio Ulan Bator broadcasts programs in Mongolian, Russian, Chinese, English, French and Kazakh. Mongel Telev 12, which transmits locally produced programs, and a satellite station are also located in Ulan Bator. Ulan Bator has 20 FM stations, including foreign radio stations BBC World Service, VOA, and Inner Mongolian Radio. In the whole country there are five long wave broadcasting stations, the most powerful at Ulan Bator with 1000 KW. In 2000 there were 154 radios and 65 television sets for every 1,000 people.

Internet usage has grown rapidly in the last few years. In 2000, there were 30,000 users, but as of 2008 there are more than 330,000.

Overview

Telephones - main lines in use :
193,200 (2010)

Telephones - mobile cellular :
2.51 million (2010)

Telephone system :
general assessment: network is improving with international direct dialling available in many areas; a fibre-optic network has been installed that is improving broadband and communication services between major urban centres with multiple companies providing inter-city fibre-optic cable services
domestic: very low fixed-line teledensity; there are multiple mobile- cellular providers and subscribership is increasing rapidly;
international: country code - 976; satellite earth stations - 7

Broadcast media :
following a law passed in 2005, Mongolia's state-run radio and TV provider converted to a public service provider; also available are private radio and TV broadcasters, as well as multi-channel satellite and cable TV providers; more than 100 radio stations, including some 20 via repeaters for the public broadcaster; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available (2008)

Internet country code :
.mn

Internet hosts :
7,942 (2010)

Internet users :
330,000 (2008)