Communications in Eritrea
Encyclopedia
Telecommunications infrastructure in Eritrea
is poorly developed and controlled by the government. Statistics are not widely available on all sectors, but it was estimated that in 2003–4 there were 38,100 main telephones lines, around 1,050 Internet hosts, and 9,500 Internet users. A 2000 estimate noted two AM and shortwave
broadcast stations and no FM broadcast stations. Statistics on the number of televisions, radios, and computers in use in Eritrea are not available, but it is widely thought that rates of ownership of these items are very low. There are no reliable estimates available on the number of mobile cellular phones in use.
On 13 April 2006, Eritrea received a soft loan from the Government of China to upgrade their communication infrastructure. The total sum loaned to EriTel was $23 million dollars. All major cities are connected to the mobile telephone system in Eritrea except for Nakfa, Afabet, and Asseb. Afabet and Nakfa are expected to be online by July 2006.
Telephone
s - main lines in use:
39,000 (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
84,700 (2007)
Telephone system:
domestic:
very inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara
; government is seeking international tenders to improve the system
international:
NA
Radio
broadcast
stations:
AM
2, FM
2, shortwave
2 (2000)
Radios:
345,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
2-3 (2006)
Televisions:
1,000 (1997)
Internet Service Provider
s (ISPs):
4 (2005) - EriTel, CTS, TFanus, Ewan
Country code
: ER
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
is poorly developed and controlled by the government. Statistics are not widely available on all sectors, but it was estimated that in 2003–4 there were 38,100 main telephones lines, around 1,050 Internet hosts, and 9,500 Internet users. A 2000 estimate noted two AM and shortwave
Shortwave
Shortwave radio refers to the upper MF and all of the HF portion of the radio spectrum, between 1,800–30,000 kHz. Shortwave radio received its name because the wavelengths in this band are shorter than 200 m which marked the original upper limit of the medium frequency band first used...
broadcast stations and no FM broadcast stations. Statistics on the number of televisions, radios, and computers in use in Eritrea are not available, but it is widely thought that rates of ownership of these items are very low. There are no reliable estimates available on the number of mobile cellular phones in use.
On 13 April 2006, Eritrea received a soft loan from the Government of China to upgrade their communication infrastructure. The total sum loaned to EriTel was $23 million dollars. All major cities are connected to the mobile telephone system in Eritrea except for Nakfa, Afabet, and Asseb. Afabet and Nakfa are expected to be online by July 2006.
Telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
s - main lines in use:
39,000 (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
84,700 (2007)
Telephone system:
domestic:
very inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara
Asmara
Asmara is the capital city and largest settlement in Eritrea, home to a population of around 579,000 people...
; government is seeking international tenders to improve the system
international:
NA
Radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
broadcast
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
stations:
AM
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
2, FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
2, shortwave
Shortwave
Shortwave radio refers to the upper MF and all of the HF portion of the radio spectrum, between 1,800–30,000 kHz. Shortwave radio received its name because the wavelengths in this band are shorter than 200 m which marked the original upper limit of the medium frequency band first used...
2 (2000)
Radios:
345,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
2-3 (2006)
Televisions:
1,000 (1997)
Internet Service Provider
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
s (ISPs):
4 (2005) - EriTel, CTS, TFanus, Ewan
Country code
Country code
Country codes are short alphabetic or numeric geographical codes developed to represent countries and dependent areas, for use in data processing and communications. Several different systems have been developed to do this. The best known of these is ISO 3166-1...
: ER