Editing Communications in Gibraltar (section)

==Fixed line services==
In the 1980s there was a shortage of local line capacity on the existing crossbar exchange, which itself had replaced the relay and [[Strowger switch]] exchanges and a modern digital System/X switch was installed.

Cable and Wireless, who provided international circuits installed a satellite earth station which made [[International Subscriber Dialling]] possible.

When the frontier with Spain was re-opened, telephone and telex circuits cut by [[Francisco Franco|General Franco]] were re-established. Subsequently, fibre links into the [[Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe|FLAG]] cable system (which had a landing point in [[Estepona]], about 50&nbsp;km from Gibraltar) were established and along with microwave links to Morocco giving Gibraltar a resilient communications infrastructure.  Gibtelecom is also a partner in the [[EIG (cable system)|EIG]] cable system, which will have a landing point in Gibraltar.

Provision for [[Local Loop Unbundling]] was introduced in Gibraltar, under the 2006 Communications Act, similar to the UK's 2003 Communications Act. Earlier in December 2005, the [[European Commission]] initiated the second stage of infringement proceedings against the [[British Government]] relating to Gibraltar's failure to transpose five [[European Union]] directives on electronic communications, but these were closed after the relevant legislation was passed into law by the then [[Gibraltar Parliament|House of Assembly]] in June 2006.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060317104429/http://www.offshore-e-com.com/asp/story/story.asp?storyname=22104 EC Pressures UK Over Gibraltar's Failure To Transpose Telecom Laws]}}</ref>

Fixed line numbers are now eight digits, with Gibtelecom numbers being prefixed with '''200'''. A second operator, CTS Gibraltar Limited, provided fixed line services beginning with the prefix '''216''', but closed down in early 2013.