Telephone, telegraph, and postal services are owned and operated by the government; in 1999 there were 314,700 main line telephones in use and 215,741 mobile cellular phones. Direct-dial telephone service is in use throughout the country, and includes efficient international service. Telegraph service is also widely available.
Radio-Télé-Luxembourg broadcasts on five radio channels (in Letzeburgesch, French, German, English, and Dutch) and two television channels (Letzeburgesch and French). The powerful commercial network reaches not only the domestic audience but millions of French, Germans, and other Europeans. In 1999 there were 2 AM and 9 FM radio stations and 5 television stations. In 1997, there were 285,000 radios and about 285,000 television sets. In 2000, there were eight Internet service providers, who by 2001 served 100,000 users.
As of 2001, there are six daily and two weekly newspapers. The daily press is small in circulation but has high standards. Luxembourg does not have an independent news agency of its own but relies on foreign news agencies for information. The most popular dailies in 2002 were the Luxemburger Wort (German and French, circulation 87,777); Tageblatt (German and French) (29,469); and La Républicaine Lorraine (French) (15,000). The weekly Telecran had a 2002 circulation of 45,000.
The law provides for freedom of speech and the press, and the government is said to uphold these provisions in practice.
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