Telecommunications in Greece
Telecommunications
OTE, the former state monopoly, is the main player in fixed-line telephony. Since the liberalization of the telecommunications market, OTE has been slowly losing market share to "alternative", competing telecom operators, such as Vivodi, Q-Telecom, Tellas and Forthnet. As of 2005, OTE's share on the market hovered around 76%.
Telephones - main lines in use: 6,348,800 (2004).
Telephone system:
- modern networks reach all areas; microwave radio relay carries most traffic; 20.000 kilometers of fiber optics and extensive open-wire network; submarine cables to off-shore islands
- domestic: 100% digital; microwave radio relay, open wire, and submarine cable
- international: 100% digital; tropospheric scatter; 8 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region)
Mobile Telecommunications
Greece has four mobile telecom companies; Cosmote, Vodafone, WIND and Q-Telecom.
Number of active lines: 12,500,000 (Dec 2005), which means 117% market penetration. Mobile penetration reached 123% in 2006, the second highest in the world.
Satellite Telecommunications
Greece owns one Telecommunications Satellite, named Hellasat, which provides telecommunication services in a major part of Eastern Europe and Western Asia.
Internet
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 23 (1999). Internet penetration: 33.9% (2005). Country code (Top-level domain): .gr
Broadband Internet access
Mass Media
Radio broadcast stations: The state radio and television broadcasting agency is ERT (Elliniki Radiofonia kai Tileorasi - Greek Radio & Television). The station owns 3 national television stations, ET-1, NET (Nea Elliniki Tileorasi) and ET-3 which is based out of Thessaloniki. In January 2006, ERT launched Digital Terrestrial Television with 3 channels. By March 2006, at least 65% of the Greek population will be able to view Digital TV for free with the use of set-top boxes. ERT also operates 7 national radio stations, including ERA 5, the Voice of Greece, which broadcasts internationally via shortwave. ERT is based in Athens.
The first non-pirate private radio station to broadcast in Greece was Athena 98,4 FM, in 1987. Private television began in November, 1989 when Mega Channel began operating. Today, over 1,000 radio stations and approximately 150 television stations broadcast in Greece. Digital satellite broadcasting began in 1999 by a company called Nova.
Radios: 5.02 million (1997) Television broadcast stations:64 (plus about 1,000 low-power repeaters); also two stations in the US Armed Forces Network (1999) Televisions: 2.54 million (1997)
Post
ELTA is the state-owned postal service provider of Greece. A number of private courier services, such as ACS and Speedex, also operate in Greece.
Regulation
The telecommunications and postal services market in Greece is regulated by the National Regulatory Authority (EETT).