Communications in Mali
Encyclopedia
History
Prior to the 19th century, the area which became Mali was criscrossed by trade and communication links, the most important being the Niger RiverNiger River
The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea...
, and important southern terminals of the Trans-Saharan trade
Trans-Saharan trade
Trans-Saharan trade requires travel across the Sahara to reach sub-Saharan Africa. While existing from prehistoric times, the peak of trade extended from the 8th century until the late 16th century.- Increasing desertification and economic incentive :...
routes. Only the most basic infrastructure (notably the Dakar-Niger Railway
Dakar-Niger Railway
The Dakar–Niger Railway connects Dakar, to Koulikoro, . It serves many cities in Senegal and Mali...
) was constructed during the period of French Colonialism
French West Africa
French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan , French Guinea , Côte d'Ivoire , Upper Volta , Dahomey and Niger...
. During the first two decades of independence, Mali received major technical and financial support from the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, and their allies, especially in the area of radio and television broadcasting. Since the 1980s, the government has instituted major infrastructural drives, primarily funded by European government partners, to improve and expand communications. Cellular phone usage, due to the vast and sparsely populated distances in the north and west, has grown tremenously since the 1990s. Internet connectivity, very low by developed world standards, has been the focus of decentralised commune
Communes of Mali
A Commune is the third level administrative unit in Mali. Mali is divided into eight regions and one capital district . These subdivisions bear the name of their principal city. The regions are divided into 49 Cercles...
based development projects since the year 2000, while the government participates in the UN's Global Alliance for ICT and Development
Global Alliance for ICT and Development
The Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies and Development is a subgroup or continuation of the United Nations Information and Communication Technologies Task Force...
and the Connect Africa projects to further computer and internet availability in the country.
Telephone service
There are some 75,000 (2005) fixed line telephone lines in Mali, far outstripped by 869,600 (2005) mobile cellular phone lines.There are two major mobile telephone operators, Ikatel (a subsidiary of Sonatel
Sonatel
Sonatel is the principal telecommunications provider of Senegal. The company is active in fixed line telephony, mobile telephony, internet service, television and corporate telecommunications...
, of Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
) and Malitel (a subsidiary of SOTELMA
Sotelma
Sotelma is a private telecommunications company in Mali. The company is based in Bamako. Sotelma provides local telephony, international telephony, internet service and mobile telephone service, etc. Its mobile service subsidiary is Malitel...
, the state owned telecommunications company).
In June 2003, legislation passed allowing other private telecommunications operators to enter the market.
Telephone system:
domestic system unreliable but improving; provides only minimal service
domestic:
network consists of microwave radio relay, open wire, and radiotelephone communications stations; expansion of microwave radio relay in progress
international:
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Radio and television
Radio broadcast stations:Government funded: AM 1, shortwave 1.
Mali has since 1994 when law allowed for private (as in non-state) radios to begin operating. Foreign funding, and some commercial funding (mostly in the capital) have helped to established 160 FM stations in Mali, though many of those are small community "suitcase radio stations". Private radio stations are required to be members of URTEL, the radio union http://urtel.radio.org.ml.
The state operated radio, is ORTM (office de Radiodiffusion au Television de Mali), which operates 2 FM stations and 1 television station, with repeaters throughout the country.
note:
The shortwave station in Bamako has seven frequencies and five transmitters and relays broadcasts for China Radio International (2001)
Radios:
570,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus repeaters) (2001)
Televisions:
45,000 (1997)
Internet
Internet usage is low by international standards, ranked 123 of 125 by the UN in 2002.Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
13 (2001)
There are an estimated 24 private internet service providers. Recently an association has been formed called AFIM (Association de Fournisseurs de l'Internet au Mali), which is intended to represent these providers.
SOTELMA the state telecom, provides X.25 and dial-up telephone services. Many operators offer dial-up internet service, and wireless internet services. Most ISPs are small Bamako based providers with a VSAT connection, a cyber cafe and use wireless systems (Alviron, 802.11a,b, g, Motorola) to share their service with their clients. Bamako has at least 21 wireless providers, ranging from small VSAT operators, to sophisticated, multi-access point, full services providers.
Internet users:
30,000 (2002)
Country code (Top level domain): ML
See also
- MaliMaliMali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
- Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision du MaliOffice de Radiodiffusion-Télévision du MaliThe Office of Radio and Television of Mali is the national broadcaster of the West African state of Mali.-Current output:...
: State Radio and Television broadcaster. - Union des Radios et Televisions Libres (URTEL)URTELURTEL is an acronym for Union des Radios et Televisions Libres du Mali, the agency responsible for regulating television and radio transmission operations in Mali.-Operations:...