Telecommunications in Iraq

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Telecommunications in Iraq include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet as well as the postal system.

Radio and television

Main article:
Media in Iraq

The number of private radio and TV stations has increased rapidly since 2003.[1] Iraqis get much of their news from TV. Radio listening has declined in tandem with the rise of TV. For private media, advertising revenues seldom produce a reliable income.[2]

  • Radio stations:
    • government-owned radio stations are operated by the publicly funded Iraqi Public Broadcasting Service; private broadcast media are mostly linked to political, ethnic, or religious groups; transmissions of multiple international radio broadcasters are available (2007);[1]
    • ~80 stations (2004).
  • Television stations
    :
    • government-owned TV stations are operated by the publicly funded Iraqi Public Broadcasting Service; private broadcast media are mostly linked to political, ethnic, or religious groups; satellite TV is available to an estimated 70% of viewers and many of the broadcasters are based abroad (2007);[1]
    • ~21 stations (2004).
  • Radios: ~4.6 million (1997).[needs update
    ]
  • Television sets: ~1.8 million television sets (1997). It has been reported that 88% of households in Iraq have television (2004).[3]

During the reign of

Baghdad Bob during the run up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. After the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, the IBTE was dissolved.[4][5][6]

The current regulator is the

al-Iraqiya TV station. Many private TV stations are also available, such as the popular Al Sharqiya. Up to 97% of homes have a satellite dish and there are more than 30 Iraq-facing satellite networks. Iraqi radio stations showcase the diversity of popular opinion, from hard-line Islamic fundamentalism to Radio Sawa, politically oriented stations, and stations featuring content appealing to Kurdish listeners. In the northern autonomous Kurdish enclaves, rival political factions operate their own media.[2]

The

Radio France International (RFI).[2]

Telephones

See also: Telephone numbers in Iraq

The

USAID funded several IT training programs with excellent international specialists as trainers and teachers.[citation needed
]

Today the system has undergone a remarkable transformation with high rates of annual investment and a functioning regulatory system, that is not quite independent of the political process, but still provides the framework for a competitive telecommunications regime. In 2013-2014 the system is under stress from renewed fighting between different political factions in Iraq.

Internet

Under the government of

VSAT
hubs. The primary military telecom service provider in Iraq is
Ts 2.[18] Since 2006 several more companies have emerged to provide options to individual Iraqis that make Internet access more affordable, albeit with less bandwidth. One such business is Advanced Technology Systems-Iraq (ATS-Iraq).[19]

Internet censorship and surveillance

In August 2009 the OpenNet Initiative found no evidence of Internet filtering in Iraq in all four of the areas for which they test (political, social, conflict/security, and Internet tools).[20]

There are no overt government restrictions on access to the Internet or official acknowledgement that the government monitors

chat rooms without judicial oversight. NGOs report that the government could and was widely believed to monitor e‑mail, chat rooms, and social media sites through local Internet service providers.[21]

The constitution broadly provides for the right of

Libel and defamation are offenses under the penal law and the 1968 Publications Law with penalties of up to seven years' imprisonment for publicly insulting the government.[21]

After the release and media amplification of the controversial "Innocence of Muslims" Internet video in September 2012, Christian groups reported an increase in death threats. One militant group called the Brigade of the Straight Path issued an ultimatum to Christians in Mosul to leave or be killed. The government provided additional security in Christian neighborhoods following the threat. There were no deaths or attacks related to the threat, and the government reduced security to normal levels by the end of 2012.[21]

The constitution mandates that authorities may not enter or search homes except with a judicial order. The constitution also prohibits arbitrary interference with privacy. In practice security forces often entered homes without search warrants and took other measures interfering with privacy, family, and correspondence.[21]

In 2011 when a documentary filmmaker and author of a prominent blog organized the video coverage of peaceful protests over the Internet via a short, nonsubscription messaging service, he was beaten on 22 April and again on 22 July, allegedly by individuals in civilian clothing linked to the security forces and by army officers as he attempted to videotape demonstrations in Tahrir Square for his blog. He went into hiding, and a few days after the second attack police searched his house. He later resumed blogging.[22]

Postal system

See also: List of postal codes in Iraq

As part of the post-invasion social and economic infrastructure reconstruction program, a contract worth $55 million was awarded to study the

postal system in Iraq. The Postal system of Iraq was organized following that study.[citation needed
]

See also

References

  • Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook (2024 ed.).
    CIA. (Archived 2014 edition.)
  • Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Department of State.
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Communications: Iraq", World Factbook, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, 28 January 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  2. ^ a b c "Iraq Profile: Media", BBC News, 22 August 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  3. doi:10.1787/435882050446. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help
    )
  4. ^ World Radio Television Handbook (WRTH), 1990, 2003, and 2005.
  5. ^ MSN Encarta Online Encyclopedia, out-of-print.
  6. ^ "Saddam Music Videos", video clips from the Frontline PBS documentary the "Survival of Saddam", 25 January 2000.
  7. ^ Iraqi Communications and Media Commission Archived 1 August 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "My Blog – My WordPress Blog". Archived from the original on August 1, 2015.
  9. ^ Dialing Procedures (International Prefix, National (Trunk) Prefix and National (Significant) Number) (in Accordance with ITY-T Recommendation E.164 (11/2010)), Annex to ITU Operational Bulletin No. 994-15.XII.2011, International Telecommunication Union (ITU, Geneva), 15 December 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  10. ^ a b DataReportal (3 February 2019). "Digital 2019 Iraq (January 2019) v01". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. ^ "Greg's Cable Map", Greg Mahlknecht, 19 December 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  12. ^ a b Calculated using penetration rate and population data from "Countries and Areas Ranked by Population: 2012" Archived 29 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Population data, International Programs, U.S. Census Bureau, retrieved 26 June 2013
  13. ^ "Percentage of Individuals using the Internet 2000-2012", International Telecommunication Union (Geneva), June 2013, retrieved 22 June 2013
  14. ^ "Fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 2012" Archived 2019-07-26 at the Wayback Machine, Dynamic Report, ITU ITC EYE, International Telecommunication Union. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
  15. ^ "Active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 2012" Archived 2019-07-26 at the Wayback Machine, Dynamic Report, ITU ITC EYE, International Telecommunication Union. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
  16. ^ Select Formats Archived 13 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Country IP Blocks. Accessed on 2 April 2012. Note: Site is said to be updated daily.
  17. ^ Population, The World Factbook, United States Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on 2 April 2012. Note: Data are mostly for 1 July 2012.
  18. ^ "Satellite Broadband Internet in Iraq and Afghanistan for U.S. Troops" Archived 24 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Press release, TS2 Satellite Technologies in PRNewswire, 22 January 2009.
  19. ^ "Advanced Technology Systems - Iraq" Archived 2017-09-20 at the Wayback Machine, website.
  20. ^ "ONI Country Profile: Iraq", OpenNet Initiative, 10 August 2009
  21. ^ a b c d "Iraq", Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 22 April 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  22. ^ "Iraq", Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 25 May 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2014.

External links

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