Communications in Senegal
Encyclopedia
Senegal
has an excellent telecommunications infrastructure
, which is digitized. Sonatel
, Senegal’s main telecommunications operator, continues to dominate the market. It was privatized in 1997 with France Telecom
as the strategic partner. Liberalization of some services accompanied privatization. Two companies now provide cellular telephone services, and there is a competitive Internet services market. As a result, there has been a boom of Internet-related activities and services and in cell phone usage.
In 2007, sales generated by the telecommunications sector accounted for more than 7 percent of the GDP. These last few years have witnessed the spectacular growth of mobile telephony with 3,434,000 subscribers in 2007 and 1,537,000 respectively in 2005. The country has around 278,000 landlines for 11.9 million inhabitants. In addition, cable, telex, fax and Internet services are available. The Internet penetration rate is low (0.19 percent). A number of cyber cafés are located in Dakar and other cities.
The Government wants Senegal to be a haven for teleprocessing services, with its advantageous geographic position, relatively good telecommunications infrastructure and relatively low wages. A number of joint ventures call centers and the telemarketing businesses have sprung up, most of them servicing the French market.
International Cellular, and Expresso/Sudatel. Orange has roughly two thirds of the cellular market, but Tigo is rapidly gaining market share. In November 2007 the third mobile license was awarded to Sudan's
Sudatel
for $200 million. The license also permits Sudatel to offer fixed line telephony and internet service (for which Sonatel had a monopoly).
International call
s to most countries can be dialed directly. The country code
for Senegal is 221. Senegal's numbering system is as follows:
Telephone
s – main lines in use:
224,600 (2002)
Telephones – mobile cellular:
3,210,000(2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: good system
domestic: above-average urban system; microwave radio relay, coaxial cable and fiber-optic cable in trunk system
international: country code – 221; 4 submarine cables; satellite earth station – 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
and 2sTV
are the two main TV channels.
Radio broadcast
stations:
AM 8, FM 20, shortwave 1 (2001)
Radios:
1.24 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions:
361,000 (1997)
Senegal is also a popular destination for Amateur Radio operators from Western and European points of origin who participate in "DXpeditions". A "DXpedition" is essentially a holiday planned by the participants for the purpose of making contacts around the world for other Amateur Radio enthusiasts. These short duration trips also help to promote interest in the radio sports among the local population that might otherwise not have the opportunity to experience radio communications for recreational and experimental purposes. More information may be obtained through the American Radio Relay League at www.arrl.org. (K4YZ)
and other towns either for private subscription or through Senegal’s extensive network of “telecentres” and Internet cafes. The ADSL broadband subscriber base is growing rapidly, though the penetration rate is less than 1 percent.
Internet Service Provider
s (ISPs):
761 (2002)
Country code
(Top level domain): SN
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...
has an excellent telecommunications infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
, which is digitized. 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...
, Senegal’s main telecommunications operator, continues to dominate the market. It was privatized in 1997 with France Telecom
France Télécom
France Telecom S.A. is the main telecommunications company in France, the third-largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It currently employs about 180,000 people and has 192.7 million customers worldwide . In 2010 the group had revenue of €45.5 billion...
as the strategic partner. Liberalization of some services accompanied privatization. Two companies now provide cellular telephone services, and there is a competitive Internet services market. As a result, there has been a boom of Internet-related activities and services and in cell phone usage.
In 2007, sales generated by the telecommunications sector accounted for more than 7 percent of the GDP. These last few years have witnessed the spectacular growth of mobile telephony with 3,434,000 subscribers in 2007 and 1,537,000 respectively in 2005. The country has around 278,000 landlines for 11.9 million inhabitants. In addition, cable, telex, fax and Internet services are available. The Internet penetration rate is low (0.19 percent). A number of cyber cafés are located in Dakar and other cities.
Regulation
An independent regulatory agency for the telecommunications sector – the Agency for Telecommunications and Postal Regulation (ARTP) – was created in early 2002. Besides regulating providers of telecommunications services, the Agency assigns and controls spectrum. The long-awaited telecommunications sector deregulation became effective in July 2004, with the release of a sectoral letter that outlines the IT policy for the coming years. Telecommunications entrepreneurs who had hoped for a sweeping deregulation will be facing a regime of guided deregulation instead.The Government wants Senegal to be a haven for teleprocessing services, with its advantageous geographic position, relatively good telecommunications infrastructure and relatively low wages. A number of joint ventures call centers and the telemarketing businesses have sprung up, most of them servicing the French market.
Telephones
There are currently three cellular companies: the former Alizé, now Orange owned by Sonatel, Tigo/Sentel, 75 percent owned by MillicomMillicom
Millicom International Cellular, also known as Tigo, is a mobile phone network provider in America and Africa. Based in Luxembourg, the company provides mobile services in 14 countries. With operations across Central America, South America, South-east Asia, and Africa, using GSM, CDMA and TDMA on...
International Cellular, and Expresso/Sudatel. Orange has roughly two thirds of the cellular market, but Tigo is rapidly gaining market share. In November 2007 the third mobile license was awarded to Sudan's
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
Sudatel
Sudatel
Sudatel is a telecommunications and Internet service provider in the Sudan. The company is responsible for the construction and maintenance of Sudan's telecom infrastructure. Sudatel is more than 60% owned by the Sudanese government; the remainder being owned by private interests...
for $200 million. The license also permits Sudatel to offer fixed line telephony and internet service (for which Sonatel had a monopoly).
International call
International call
International telephone calls are those made between different countries. These telephone calls are processed by international gateway exchanges . Charges for these calls were high initially but declined greatly during the 20th century due to advances in technology and liberalization. Originally...
s to most countries can be dialed directly. The 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...
for Senegal is 221. Senegal's numbering system is as follows:
| Numbers beginning with | Fixed/Mobile | Company |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | fixed | Expresso/Sudatel |
| 33 | fixed | Sonatel |
| 70 | mobile | Expresso/Sudatel |
| 76 | mobile | Sentel (Tigo) |
| 77 | mobile | Sonatel (Orange) |
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:
224,600 (2002)
Telephones – mobile cellular:
3,210,000(2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: good system
domestic: above-average urban system; microwave radio relay, coaxial cable and fiber-optic cable in trunk system
international: country code – 221; 4 submarine cables; satellite earth station – 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio and television
Radiodiffusion Télévision SénégalaiseRadiodiffusion Télévision Sénégalaise
Radiodiffusion Télévision Sénégalaise is the Senegalese public broadcasting company.- History :The French military opened the first radio broadcasting station in Dakar in 1932. It began broadcasting civilian programming in 1939. The origins of RTS are in Radio-Dakar, created in 1950, that...
and 2sTV
2sTV
2sTV is the second television channel of Senegal.It is owned 100 % by El hadji Ibrahima Ndiaye, the administrator of the channel.- Beginnings :...
are the two main TV channels.
Radio 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 8, FM 20, shortwave 1 (2001)
Radios:
1.24 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions:
361,000 (1997)
Senegal is also a popular destination for Amateur Radio operators from Western and European points of origin who participate in "DXpeditions". A "DXpedition" is essentially a holiday planned by the participants for the purpose of making contacts around the world for other Amateur Radio enthusiasts. These short duration trips also help to promote interest in the radio sports among the local population that might otherwise not have the opportunity to experience radio communications for recreational and experimental purposes. More information may be obtained through the American Radio Relay League at www.arrl.org. (K4YZ)
Internet
Internet service is widely available in DakarDakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
and other towns either for private subscription or through Senegal’s extensive network of “telecentres” and Internet cafes. The ADSL broadband subscriber base is growing rapidly, though the penetration rate is less than 1 percent.
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):
761 (2002)
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...
(Top level domain): SN