Telecommunications in Tunisia
Telecommunications in Tunisia includes telephones (fixed and mobile), radio, television, and the Internet. The
Telephones
- International calling code: 216 (for calls from outside of Tunisia)[1]
- International call prefix: 00 (for international calls from within Tunisia)
- Fixed lines: 1.2 million (2011),[2] 1.3 million (2009),[3] 1.2 million (2005); 654,000 (1997)
- Mobile cellular: 12.4 million (2011),[2] 9.8 million (2009),[3] 7.2 million (2007); 1.9 million (2003); 50,000 (1998)
- Teledensity: ~100 telephones per 100 persons (fixed-line and mobile-cellular combined)[3]
- System: Above the African average and continuing to be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis; telephone network is completely digitized[3]
- domestic: trunk facilities consist of open-wire lines, coaxial cable, and microwave radio relay
- international: 5 submarine cables; 2 satellite earth stations - Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and Arabsat; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria and Libya; participant in Medarabtel; 2 international gateway digital switches
Radio and television
First radio service began in 1935 in Tunisia.[4]
- Radio stations: Several state-owned and private radio networks (2012)[5]
- Radios: 2.06 million (1997)[needs update]
- Television stations: State-owned and private national TV channels; Egyptian, French, and pan-Arab satellite TV command large audiences (2012)[5]
- Televisions: 920,000 (1997)[needs update]
- Households with television: 91.7% (2003)[6][needs update]
The government of former President Ben Ali tightly controlled the press and broadcasting. But since the 2011 popular revolt, many journalists have enjoyed new-found freedoms. The number of radio and TV channels and print publications has increased, as has their freedom to report and debate political and social issues. State TV, which had toed the government line, has changed tack, giving airtime to the former opposition.[5]
Prior to the Tunisian revolution there were four private radio stations operating in Tunisia. In June 2011, following the
Internet
- Access: Available throughout the country using a fibre-optic backbone[10]
- Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 12 (2005)[needs update]
- International bandwidth: 62 Gbit/s in 2012, 50 Gbit/s in 2010, 1.3 Gbit/s in 2006[11]
- Internet users: 4,196,564 (2012),[12] 840,000 (2005); 410,000 (2001)
- Internet penetration: 39.1% (2011), 36.8% (2010), 17.1% (2007), 9.7% (2005), 2.8% (2000)[13]
- Fixed (wired) Internet subscriptions: 604,102 (2011); 543,290 (2010); 253,149 (2007); 150,220 (2005); 36,657 (2000)[14]
- Broadband Internet subscribers: 544,392 or 5.1% (2011),[15] 481,810 or 4.6% (2010),[16] 372,818 or 3.6% (2009), 43,845 or 0.4% (2006)[17]
- Facebook subscribers: 2,602,640 (2011)[12]
- Facebook penetration: 24.5% (2011)[12]
- Public CyberCafés: 350 (2005)[needs update]
Information and communications technology
The Tunisian government considers
2005 World Summit on the Information Society
The first World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was held in Geneva in 2003.
See also
- Higher School of Communication of Tunis
- Moez Chakchouk
- Media of Tunisia
- Economy of Tunisia
References
- ^ a b "Tunisia profile: Facts", BBC News, 14 December 2011
- ^ a b "Tunisia profile", World Factbook, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, 5 February 2013
- ^ a b c d "Tunisia profile", World Factbook, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, 18 October 2011
- hdl:2433/155745.
- ^ a b c "Tunisia profile: Media", BBC News, 15 June 2012
- ^ "Tkunisia > Media", Nation Master, accessed 21 October 2011
- ^ "New Private Radios: Authorized but still Voiceless", Latifa Al-Mekbali, 27 August 2011
- ^ "Tunisia: The hijacking of free radio", Sana Sbouai, Nawaat, 17 July 2012
- ^ "Emerging from the Underground, Pirate Radio Seeks Acceptance", Paul Rosenfeld, Tunisia Live, 14 November 2012
- ^ "Tunisia - Telecoms, Mobile, Broadband and Forecasts", Budde.com.au, accessed 21 October 2011
- ^ "Capacity of International Internet Bandwidth", Tunisian Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies, retrieved 20 February 2013
- ^ a b c "Tunisia", Internet World Stats, accessed 20 February 2013
- ^ "Percentage of Individuals using the Internet 2000-2011", spreadsheet, International Telecommunication Unions (ITU), Geneva, 2011
- ^ "Fixed (wired)-Internet subscriptions 2000-2011", spreadsheet, International Telecommunication Unions (ITU), Geneva, 2011
- ^ "Fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions 2000-2011", spreadsheet, International Telecommunication Unions (ITU), Geneva, 2011
- ^ "Key Global Telecom Indicators for the World Telecommunication Service Sector", International Telecommunication Unions (ITU), Geneva, 2011
- ^ "Tunisia - fixed broadband internet subscribers", Index Mundi, accessed 21 October 2011
- ^ "Chapter 2.3: ICT on Tunisia: A Strategic Lever for Building a Knowledge-Based Economy", Tawfix Jelassi, Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (France), The Global Information Technology Report 2009-2010, World Economic Forum, 9 March 2010
- ^ "Second Phase of the WSIS, 16-18 November 2005, Tunis", World Summit on the Information Society, International Telecommunication Union, retrieved 20 February 2013