Afghanistan vs. Uzbekistan
Telecommunications
| Afghanistan | Uzbekistan | |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | total subscriptions: 134,636 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (2019 est.) | total subscriptions: 3,553,310 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 11.73 (2019 est.) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | total subscriptions: 22,580,071 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 63.18 (2019 est.) | total subscriptions: 33.38 million subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 110.15 (2019 est.) |
| Internet country code | .af | .uz |
| Internet users | total: 4,717,013 percent of population: 13.5% (July 2018 est.) | total: 15,705,402 percent of population: 52.31% (July 2018 est.) |
| Telecommunication systems | general assessment: despite decades of war, Afghanistan has successfully rebuilt infrastructure to create a functional telecom sector that covers nearly all of the population; due to mountainous geography, country relies on its mobile network; mobile broadband penetration growing, but is still low compared to other countries in Asia; operator launched LTE in Kabul; World Bank and other donors support development of a nationwide fiber backbone; terrestrial cable connectivity to five neighboring countries; work on the `Wakhan Corridor Fiber Optic Survey Project' to connect to China is nearing completion; major importer of broadcasting equipment from UAE (2020) (2020)domestic: less than 1 per 100 for fixed-line teledensity; 59 per 100 for mobile-cellular; an increasing number of Afghans utilize mobile-cellular phone networks (2019) international: country code - 93; multiple VSAT's provide international and domestic voice and data connectivity (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
| general assessment: land-locked, authoritarian state with government grip on ICT technology and no integrated plan; government plans to develop infrastructure to improve geographical disparities in service; increased investment in infrastructure, with aims of expanding subscriber base and rising revenue; some villages have no connectivity, and 70% have 2G with development of 3G and 4G; free WiFi spots across country to boost tourism; Russian operator invested in joint venture on mobile services; government in discussion with Huawei on additional ventures; digital exchanges in large cities and some rural areas; fixed-line is underdeveloped due to preeminence of mobile market; introduction of prepaid Internet has contributed to home Internet usage; consumers largely reliant on terrestrial links and VSAT networks; media controlled by state; importer of broadcasting equipment from China (2021) (2020) domestic: fixed-line 11 per 100 person and mobile-cellular 101 per 100; the state-owned telecommunications company, Uzbek Telecom, owner of the fixed-line telecommunications system, has used loans from the Japanese government and the China Development Bank to upgrade fixed-line services including conversion to digital exchanges; mobile-cellular services are provided by 2 private and 3 state-owned operators with a total subscriber base of 22.8 million as of January 2018 (2019) international: country code - 998; linked by fiber-optic cable or microwave radio relay with CIS member states and to other countries by leased connection via the Moscow international gateway switch; the country also has a link to the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable; Uzbekistan has supported the national fiber-optic backbone project of Afghanistan since 2008 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 |
| Broadband - fixed subscriptions | total: 19,683 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (2018 est.) | total: 4,597,265 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 15.17 (2019 est.) |
| Broadcast media | state-owned broadcaster, Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA), operates a series of radio and television stations in Kabul and the provinces; an estimated 174 private radio stations, 83 TV stations, and about a dozen international broadcasters are available (2019) | the government controls media; 17 state-owned broadcasters - 13 TV and 4 radio - provide service to virtually the entire country; about 20 privately owned TV stations, overseen by local officials, broadcast to local markets; privately owned TV stations are required to lease transmitters from the government-owned Republic TV and Radio Industry Corporation; in 2019, the Uzbek Agency for Press and Information was reorganized into the Agency of Information and Mass Communications and became part of the Uzbek Presidential Administration with recent appointment of the Uzbek President's elder daughter as it deputy director (2019) |
Source: CIA Factbook
