Telephones

In 2003, new long-distance fiber-optic cables of 946 kilometers were laid down. The registered Internet subscribers numbered 220,000, up 26.4 percent. At the end of 2003, there were 1.003 million telephone subscribers, including 735,000 urban subscribers and 268,000 rural subscribers. Mobile phone users numbered 1.235 million.

Radio and television

By the end of 2003, there were five radio stations with 23 programs, eight medium and short wave radio transmitting and relaying stations, reaching 91.2 percent of the local population. There were five television stations, producing 54 programs, and 108 television transmitting and relaying stations, covering 89 percent of the regional population, up by 1.3 percentage points over that of the previous year.