| Telephones - main lines in use | total subscriptions: 142,587 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 6.25 (2019 est.) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | total subscriptions: 3,746,760 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 164.12 (2019 est.) |
| Telecommunication systems | general assessment: due to effective regulatory reform and active competition, Botswana’s telecom market is one of the most liberalized in the region; strategy to drive nationwide ICT penetration is slowed; one of the highest mobile penetration rates in Africa; operators developing 3G and LTE; Internet use rising due to lower prices; government has embraced digitalization, e-government and identity programs that require citizens to provide detailed personal information; previously dependent on satellites for international connectivity, country’s new submarine cable landings improved competition and tripled international Internet capacity; importer of broadcast equipment from Hong Kong and China (2020) (2020)domestic: fixed-line teledensity has declined in recent years and now stands at roughly 6 telephones per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity has advanced to 174 telephones per 100 persons (2019) international: country code - 267; international calls are made via satellite, using international direct dialing; 2 international exchanges; digital microwave radio relay links to Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments |
| Broadcast media | 2 TV stations - 1 state-owned and 1 privately owned; privately owned satellite TV subscription service is available; 2 state-owned national radio stations; 4 privately owned radio stations broadcast locally (2019) |
| Internet country code | .bw |
| Internet users | total: 1,057,079 percent of population: 47% (July 2018 est.) |
| Broadband - fixed subscriptions | total: 49,295 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 2.16 (2019 est.) |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
