Telecommunications

In the country there is a direct service within the dialing area codes 809 and 829. Several companies offer competing local phone services and international fixed line and mobile international direct dialing, facsimile, electronic mail and the Internet, videoconferencing and data amongst others. The Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (INDOTEL) is the competent body in this area.

By September 2007, there were 903,336 fixed telephone lines installed in a proportion of 9.9 lines for each group of 100 inhabitants (teledensity) and with an annual growth of 0.1% (2006).

Mobile benefits 55% of the population (5.8 million) with an annual growth of 27.1% (2006).  This high number is partly due to low purchasing power of people who were in recent years able to access the prepaid plans and postpago.

In the Dominican Republic there are 287,163 Internet accounts and 1,646,760 users.

The postal service, which covers the entire country, is of mixed ownership (private and state). The principal exponent of the formal sector is the Instituto Postal Dominicano (INPOSDOM).