Prague, 14 November 1996 (RFE/RL) -- Economists are looking at telephone networks in former communist countries as a new way to gauge the success of transition. A newly-published study shows that the Czech Republic, Hungary and Estonia are leading the push to update their phone systems.
Public Network Europe examines telephone systems on the basis of the so-called "network penetration rate." The size of each phone system is expressed in terms relative to a country's population. This allows comparison against 1994 data published by the International Telecommunications Union.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says there is a strong relationship between the network penetration rate and per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The Economist Group argues that phone networks also reflect the transition process in general -- including policy evolution, investment generation and national economic development.
Here is a country-by-country breakdown comparing the studies on phone networks from 1994 and 1996:
Bulgaria
1994: 34 lines per 100 people
1996: 29 lines per 100 people
Bulgaria is the only country which, according to the two studies, saw a decrease in the size of its telephone network during the past two years.
The EBRD explains that Bulgaria provided services beyond the expected level in 1994 because the country had been a major supplier of telecommunications equipment to the former COMECON countries. Bulgaria had conducted significant telecom expansion under central planning. Analysts say the decrease reflects Bulgaria's acute economic crisis.
Slovenia
1994: 30 lines per 100 people
1996: 32 lines per 100 people
Croatia
1994: 27 lines per 100 people
1996: 28 lines per 100 people
Latvia
1994: 27 lines per 100 people
1996: 27 lines per 100 people
Estonia
1994: 25 lines per 100 people
1996: 29 lines per 100 people
Lithuania
1994: 25 lines per 100 people
1996: 25 lines per 100 people
Czech Republic
1994: 22 lines per 100 people
1996: 26 lines per 100 people
Slovak Republic
1994: 19 lines per 100 people
1996: 21 lines per 100 people
Belarus
1994: 18 lines per 100 people
1996: 18 lines per 100 people
Hungary
1994: 17 lines per 100 people
1996: 24 lines per 100 people
Russia
1994: 17 lines per 100 people
1996: 17 lines per 100 people
Macedonia
1994: 17 lines per 100 people
1996: 18 lines per 100 people
Armenia
1994: 16 lines per 100 people
1996: not available
Ukraine
1994: 16 lines per 100 people
1996: 17 lines per 100 people
Poland
1994: 13 lines per 100 people
1996: 14 lines per 100 people
Moldova
1994: 13 lines per 100 people
1996: 13 lines per 100 people
Romania
1994: 13 lines per 100 people
1996: 13 lines per 100 people
Kazakstan
1994: 12 lines per 100 people
1996: not available
Georgia
1994: 10 lines per 100 people
1996: not available
Azerbaijan
1994: 9 lines per 100 people
1996: not available
Turkmenistan
1994: 8 lines per 100 people
1996: not available
Kyrgyzstan
1994: 8 lines per 100 people
1996: not available
Bosnia
1994: 7 lines per 100 people
1996: 12 lines per 100 people
Uzbekistan
1994: 7 lines per 100 people
1996: not available
Tajikistan
1994: 5 lines per 100 people
1996: not available
Albania
1994: 2 lines per 100 people
1996: 3 lines per 100 people
