| Telephones - main lines in use | total subscriptions: 8,770 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 4.33 (2019 est.) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | total subscriptions: 128,776 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 63.58 (2019 est.) |
| Telecommunication systems | general assessment: development of infrastructure is hampered by geography of remote islands, vulnerable to devastating storms; telecom sector has been inhibited by lack of international connectivity; most households have at least one mobile phone; businesses in the capital area have access to broadband and Wi-Fi; rural islands have some access to Internet and Wi-Fi; liberalized regulatory infrastructure and competition in the mobile market increased coverage and reduced cost; access to submarine cables improved Internet data rates and reliability; Australian companies countering Chinese companies in the acquisition of Pacific operations; importer of broadcasting equipment from USA (2020) (2020)domestic: fixed-line 4 per 100 and mobile-cellular teledensity 64 telephones per 100 persons (2019) international: country code - 685; landing points for the Tui-Samo, Manatua, SAS, and Southern Cross NEXT submarine cables providing connectivity to Samoa, Fiji, Wallis & Futuna, Cook Islands, Niue, French Polynesia, American Samoa, Australia, New Zealand, Kiribati, Los Angeles (US), and Tokelau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (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 | state-owned TV station privatized in 2008; 4 privately owned television broadcast stations; about a half-dozen privately owned radio stations and one state-owned radio station; TV and radio broadcasts of several stations from American Samoa are available (2019) |
| Internet country code | .ws |
| Internet users | total: 67,662 percent of population: 33.61% (July 2018 est.) |
| Broadband - fixed subscriptions | total: 1,692 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2017 est.) |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
