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Paraguay Communications
Although Paraguay was the first nation on the South American
continent to enjoy telegraph services, its communications system
developed slowly. In the 1980s, only one in forty-nine Paraguayans
owned a television, one in twenty a radio, and one in fifty-two a
telephone. In each category, Paraguay ranked last in South America,
well behind lesser developed countries such as Bolivia and Guyana.
Telephone services were solely owned by the state's National
Telecommunications Company (Administración Nacional de
Telecomunicaciones--Antelco). Domestic telephone service was
outdated and sometimes unreliable. Consumers typically waited six
months to have service installed and were charged a very high
price. Long-distance service was available from most major cities
and was generally more dependable than local service because it
used a microwave and satellite transmission system. Telex services
also were available through Antelco. Communication services in the
Chaco remained very deficient in the 1980s.
Data as of December 1988
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