Government postal service in North Carolina began in 1755 but did not become regular until 1771, with the establishment of a central post office for the southern colonies. Mails were slow and erratic, and many North Carolinians continued to entrust their letters to private travelers until well into the 19th century. Rural free delivery in the state began on 23 October 1896 in Rowan County.
Telephone service began in Wilmington and Raleigh in October 1879, and long distance connections between Wilmington and Petersburg, Va., began later that same year. In 2001, 93.9% of the state's occupied housing units had telephones.
There were 49 major AM radio stations in North Carolina in 2003, and 106 major FM stations. Major television stations numbered 33. The Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville-Anderson area had 732,490 television households, 61% of which received cable. The Raleigh-Duram area had 858,490 television-viewing households, 62% of which had cable. Finally, the Greensboro-High Point-Winstom Salem viewing area boasted 64% of all television households with cable.
A total of 120,858 Internet domain names were registered in the state in the year 2000.