Albania's telephone network was one of the least developed in the Balkan region. The relative low penetration of fixed lines lead to the rapid expansion of mobile telephony, initially provided solely by Albanian Mobile telephony (AMC).

Usage of the Internet is very low. A recent survey in InternetWorldStats.com refers to a higher number of 25 per 1,000 Internet users, whereas World Bank reports a lower percentage, 0.9%, of Internet usage in 2004. Part of the reason for this is the fact that severe power cuts hinder the usage of PCs. Moreover, Internet connection costs are very high, sometimes as high as half the average monthly wage.