3.4 Armenia Telecommunications

Overview

Telecommunications systems are quite developed in Armenia.

There are three mobile phone operators currently in Armenia: Viva Cell MTS, Ucom and Beeline. All three offer 2G, 3G and 4G services. All three networks are widely modern and reliable with shops located in major towns and cities where one can purchase a sim card or get assistance if needed. Most unlocked mobile phones are able to be used on roaming however network charges apply. The performance of the 3 operators is monitored by the PSRC (Public Services Regulatory Commission) and a quarterly report is posted on each service provider’s website.

As of 2012, approximately 90% of all main lines are digitized and provide excellent quality services for the region. The remaining 10% is in modernization process.

International system

Yerevan is connected to the Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic cable via Georgia. Additional international service is available by microwave radio relay and landline connections to other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Moscow international switch and by satellite. Main backbones of Armenian networks are made by E3 or STM-1 lines via microwave units across whole country with many passive retranslations.

Fixed line communication

Traditionally Armenia has well-developed landline telephone services. According to official statistic data of International Telecommunications Union as for 2017 there were 505,190 fixed telephone service subscribers in Armenia (residents and businesses) or 17.24 subscribers per 100 inhabitants. Number of fixed telephone users have been significantly declined as compared with previous 10 years from 20.41 in 2006. Main reason for the decline is mobile-fixed substitution. Fixed communication is provided by Beeline, UCOM, Rostelecom and a few small companies. All these companies are private.

For more information on telecoms contacts, please see the following link:  4.11 Additional Services Contact List

Telephone Services
Is there an existing landline telephone network?	Yes
Does it allow international calls?	Yes
Number and Length of Downtime Periods (on average)	n/a
Mobile Phone Providers	Viva Cell MTS Ucom  Beeline
Approximate Percentage of National Coverage	All cities, villages, and main roads

Telecommunications Regulations

Telecommunication facilities (including terminal facilities) used in the Public Switched Telecommunications Network, other Public Telecommunication Networks, Governmental and Private telecommunication networks in the Republic of Armenia shall be subject to mandatory certification. Certification of telecommunication facilities in the Republic of Armenia shall be carried out according to the law and international treaties entered into by the Republic of Armenia. All telecommunication licenses for HF, VHF, UHF communication, data, mobile and satellite services are issued by Ministry of Transport and Communication. For some transmitting equipment it is necessary to obtain import licenses/permissions which is necessary to submit during customs clearance process. These permissions are granted by Ministry of Transport and Communication and Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia.

Regulations on Usage and Import

	Regulations in Place?	Regulating Authority
Satellite	Yes	Ministry of Transport and Communications
HF Radio	Yes	Ministry of Transport and Communications
UHF/VHF/HF Radio: Handheld, Base and Mobile	Yes	Ministry of Transport and Communications
UHF/VHF Repeaters	Yes	Ministry of Transport and Communications
GPS	no	No regulation
VSAT	Yes	Ministry of Transport and Communications
Individual Network Operator Licenses Required
Yes
Frequency Licenses Required
yes

Existing Humanitarian Telecoms Systems

There is current communication system between UN agencies.

Existing UN Telecommunication Systems

	UNDP	WFP	WFP Direct	UNHCR	Emergency Channel
VHF Frequencies	RX 156.325/TX 161.325	RX163.125/TX158.125	RX163.125/TX163.125	RX163.150/TX158.150	RX163.100/TX158.100
HF Frequencies	4043.7 5368.3 6327.5 7447.5	4317.5 5432.5 6517.5 7813.5	4583.5 5764.5 6737.5 8067.5	5177.5 6066.5 6883.5 8827.5	5293.5 6282.5 7432.5 9027.5
Locations of Repeaters	Yerevan	n/a	n/a	Yerevan
VSAT	n/a	Yerevan	Yerevan	n/a

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

Broadband internet service by fiber optic or xDSL provided basically by Beeline, UCOM, Rostelecom and several small companies. All these companies are private. The number of broadband internet users in last few years are increased. The service is available in the cities and most of the villages. Approximately 60 percent of rural towns are covered by landline broadband. Availability of service can be checked by the companies upon the request which contain postal address. The total number of internet users (including mobile users) in Armenia is almost 1,400,000 which is about 45% of population.

Access to the internet in Armenia is ensured through four backbone networks that use fiber optic cable systems. The international internet connection is made possible by three telecommunication operators. At the network level they are interconnected with fiber optic cable systems operating in the territory of the Republic of Georgia.

 

Internet Service Providers
Are there ISPs available?	Yes
If yes, are they privately or government owned?	Privately owned
Dial-up only?	No
Approximate Rates (local currency and USD - $)	Dial-up	n/a
	Broadband	5,000-20,000 AMD/month 13-50 $/month
Max Leasable ‘Dedicated’ Bandwidth	4mb

 

Mobile Network Operators (MNOs)

Three mobile operators cover almost 100% of Armenia’s populated areas: Beeline, Vivacell-MTS and Ucom. The performance of the 3 operators is monitored by the PSRC (Public Services Regulatory Commission) and a quarterly report is posted on each service provider’s website. The three operators offer voice and data services (including LTE). The Republic of Armenia Central Bank approved the operators to deal with mobile money transfers for consumers (not for companies). But due to the spread banking infrastructure in Armenia (even in regions) there are only Mobidram (MTS) and UPay services which are not used widely and only provide payments to the internal system clients, commercial banks as well as you can make loans repayments or pay for utilities (gas, electricity, water etc.). The clients of these systems can make payments by mobile phones or online (using computer/tablet). There are no retailers or shops in the market who accept this type of payment.

For information on MNOs please visit the GSM Association website.

Company	Number of Agent Outlets by Area	Network Strength by Area	Contracted for Humanitarian or Government Cash Transfer Programmes?	Services Offered (i.e. Merchant Payment, Bulk Disbursement, Receive & Make Payment)
VivaCell-MTS	See the Map below		No	mobidram
Beeline	See the Map below		No
Ucom LLC	See the Map below		No	Upay

Beeline GSM coverage map

 

 

Vivacell-MTS 2G coverage map

 

 

UCOM 2G coverage map