APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200090023-1
Denmark and Norway a satellite ground station at Tanum, north of Goteborg. The station employs 34 permanent telephone circuits with the United States and Canada; additional equipment in the near future is to enable the station to establish connections with South America, Africa, and the Middle East. Occasional TV programs are being exchanged in both directions with the United States and Canada.
Government agencies and commercial firms operate special telecom systems, generally not available for public services. The STA provides wire lines, most of the radio equipment, and controls the use of special-purpose radio stations. The Civil Air Administration and the air force operate aeronautical radio stations for air traffic control and navigation. The navy has radio stations for ship-to-shore service. The Swedish State Railways also operates an existenve telephone and telegraph service. Civil Defense units use about 500 fixed and 5,000 mobile very-high-frequency (VHF) radio stations; police, fire brigade, and municipal governments also use these facilities.
Radio, TV, and wired-broadcast networks are well developed, and programs in at least one medium are available to most of the population. Forty-two AM radiobroadcast stations have 73 transmitters ranging in capacity from 60 watts (w.) to 600 kilowatts (kw.). With the exception of two 100-kw. international transmitters at Horby, in southern Sweden, all AM stations broadcast on low and medium frequencies. Principal studios are in the Stockholm broadcasting center, where all national programs are organized and distributed. FM service consists of 85 stations having over 230 transmitters. The effective radiated power of FM transmitters ranges from less than 30 w. to 60 kw. There are about 5 million radiobroadcast receivers, a density of nearly 65 per 100 population. The TV network consists of 196 stations, providing service to about 99% of the population. All but two stations broadcast on channels in the VHF band; the two exceptions broadcast on the UHF band. Effective radiated power of transmitters ranges from 1 w. to 1,000 kw. TV telecasts in black and white and color are programed in two national channels. There are over 2.7 million TV receivers, of which 460,000 are color sets. Sweden has the highest TV receiver density in Europe, 31 per 100 inhabitants.
Topography and climate affect the installation, operation, and maintenance of telecom facilities. Many rivers and lakes, a long, irregular coastline, and mountainous regions influence the choice of equipment used for long-distance circuits. During the winter, open-wire lines are subject to damage by accumulation of ice and sleet, and maintenance is hampered by deep snow. The aurora borealis produces electrical and magnetic disturbances that affect telecom operations.
The Swedish electronic and telecom equipment manufacturing industry is advanced in all phases of technology and fulfills most public and military requirements. The industry, however, relies heavily on imported components, particularly of military electronics (60%), and some industrial and professional equipment. The latter consists of semiconductors, integrated circuits, printed-circuit boards, and microelectronic components. Imports originate mainly from the Unite dStates, West Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Denmark. The L.M. Ericsson Telephone Company manufactures most telephones, telegraph teleprinters, and carrier equipment; a subsidiary produces coaxial cables. Standard Radio and Telephone AB, a subsidiary of International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation, produces electronic telephone and telegraph equipment. A newly formed company, ASEA-LME Automation, composed of ASEA, Sweden's leading electronic manufacturer, and the Ericsson Telephone Company, produces computer-based equipment used in the telecom industry. Facilities for electronic research and development are excellent; training facilities in electronics and engineering are available at private and government institutes and universities.
Development plans include completion of automation of the long-distance telephone network with computer-controlled telephone exchanges equipped with all-electronic switching systems. In early 1972 this new system, consisting of 16,000 channels and serving about 12,000 subscribers in the Stockholm area, was being doubled. Upon its completion, about 75% of these subscribers will be able to dial directly to most European countries. During 1972-73, a number of experimental videophone sets ar eco be installed in public telephone booths for calls between Stockholm, Goteborg, and Malmo, but widespread use of videophones among private individuals is not anticipated at present. Work began in early 1972 on reinforcing the 12-megahertz system of coaxial cables, providing 2,700 telephone channels, with a new 60-megahertz 10,800-channel system having the largest transmitting capacity in the world. The first 400 kilometers of this system, between Vasteras and Goteborg, is to have twin cables and a total of 21,600 telephone channels. Further expansion of the radio-relay network for radiobroadcast and TV program distribution is also planned. Expanded use of the satellite ground station at Tanum is to increase the number of telephone circuits to the United States, Canada, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East and the number of TV programs exchanged with the United States and Canada.
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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200090023-1
