Although Paraguay was the first nation on the South American continent to enjoy telegraph services, its communications system developed slowly. In the 1980s, only one in forty-nine Paraguayans owned a television, one in twenty a radio, and one in fifty-two a telephone. In each category, Paraguay ranked last in South America, well behind lesser developed countries such as Bolivia and Guyana.
Telephone services were solely owned by the state's National Telecommunications Company (Administración Nacional de Telecomunicaciones--Antelco). Domestic telephone service was outdated and sometimes unreliable. Consumers typically waited six months to have service installed and were charged a very high price. Long-distance service was available from most major cities and was generally more dependable than local service because it used a microwave and satellite transmission system. Telex services also were available through Antelco. Communication services in the Chaco remained very deficient in the 1980s.
Data as of December 1988