| Telephones - main lines in use | total subscriptions: 116,882 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1.94 (2019 est.) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | total subscriptions: 1,226,660 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 20.36 (2019 est.) |
| Telecommunication systems | general assessment: least developed telecommunications market in Africa, largely due to restrictions of state-owned telecom monopoly; most fixed-line telephones are in Asmara; cell phone use is limited by government control of SIM card issuance; low penetration of computer use and Internet; market ripe for competition and investment; direct phone service between Eritrea and Ethiopia restored in September 2018; government operator working on roll-out of 3G network (2020) (2020) domestic: fixed-line subscribership is less than 2 per 100 person and mobile-cellular 20 per 100 (2019) international: country code - 291 (2019) 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 | government controls broadcast media with private ownership prohibited; 1 state-owned TV station; state-owned radio operates 2 networks; purchases of satellite dishes and subscriptions to international broadcast media are permitted (2019) |
| Internet country code | .er |
| Internet users | total: 78,215 percent of population: 1.31% (July 2018 est.) |
| Broadband - fixed subscriptions | total: 600 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (2017 est.) |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
