PTTs

In some parts of the world, the phone company is a national monopoly called the PTT (Post, Telephone, Telegraph). Don’t expect much from a PTT. Dealing with a PTT in some countries, both poor and rich, is like going back in time. There may be only rotary service, or even operators with patch cords. It may take many months, or even years, to get an ordinary phone line, and it is likely to be more expensive than in the U.S. It’s ironic, but you can get a high-performance PC almost anywhere on earth, though more than half the world population does not have access to a telephone and has never made a telephone call. The situation is changing, as cellular infrastructure is being installed in many poor countries because it is cheaper and more flexible than installing land lines.

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