Communications in Tunisia
Encyclopedia
Telecommunications in Tunisia includes telephones (fixed and mobile), radio, television, and the Internet. The Ministry of Communication Technologies
, a cabinet-level governmental agency, is in charge of organizing the sector.
Broadcasters are mainly government-controlled; the state-run Tunisian Radio and Television Establishment (ERTT) operates 2 national television networks, several national radio networks, and a number of regional radio stations; 1 TV and 3 radio stations are privately-owned and report domestic news stories directly from the official Tunisian news agency; the state retains control of broadcast facilities and transmitters through L'Office National de la Telediffusion; Tunisians also have access to Egyptian, pan-Arab, and European satellite TV channels (2007)
Prior to the Tunisian revolution there were four private radio stations operating in Tunisia: Mosaïque FM, Chems FM, Jawhara FM and Express FM. In June 2011, following the Tunisian revolution
, a recommendation to license twelve new private radio stations was forwarded to the interim Prime Minister. In August 2011 none of the recommendations had been acted upon. However, one of the stations, Radio 6, is broadcasting without a license.
, and e-medicine
are all areas of strong interest where the Government is seeking international partnership and investments. During the last 15 years, several important efforts were made to invest in ICT and the Internet. Physical infrastructures were modernised. In July 2004 the World Bank approved a $13 million loan to the Tunisian government to support the government effort in accelerating its ICT reforms. Though, beyond the high priority the government is giving to ICT, development of telecommunications in Tunisia has been slower than expected compared to other developing countries in Middle East
and North Africa
.
hosted the second World Summit in November 2005. The Tunisian government took the initiative to host the summit in 1998. It was organised by the International Telecommunication Union
(ITU) under the auspices of UNESCO
. A declaration of Principles and Plan of Action were approved in order to bridge the digital gap between developing and developed countries within the World Information Society.
Ministry of Communication Technologies (Tunisia)
The Ministry of Communication Technologies of Tunisia is a cabinet-level governmental agency in Tunisia in charge of organizing the sector, planning, control and supervision of activities directed at acquiring new technology and improving the communications sector in Tunisia.-Structure:The...
, a cabinet-level governmental agency, is in charge of organizing the sector.
Telephones
- International calling code: 216 (for calls from outside of Tunisia)
- International call prefix: 00 (for international calls from within Tunisia)
- Fixed lines: 1,279,000 (2009), 1,214,000 (2005); 654,000 (1997)
- Mobile cellular: 9,754,000 (2009), 7,200,000 (2007); 1,911,648 (2003); 50,000 (1998)
- Teledensity: ~100 telephones per 100 persons (fixed-line and mobile-cellular combined)
- System: Above the African average and continuing to be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis; telephone network is completely digitized
- domestic: trunk facilities consist of open-wire lines, coaxial cable, and microwave radio relay
- international: 5 submarine cables; 2 satellite earth stations - Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and Arabsat; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria and Libya; participant in Medarabtel; 2 international gateway digital switches
Radio and television
- See also: Tunisian Radio and Television Establishment (ERTT)
- Radio stations: AM 7; FM 20; shortwave 2 (1998)
- Radios: 2.06 million (1997)
- Television stations: 26 (plus 76 repeaters) (1995)
- Televisions: 920,000 (1997)
- Households with television: 91.7% (2003)
Broadcasters are mainly government-controlled; the state-run Tunisian Radio and Television Establishment (ERTT) operates 2 national television networks, several national radio networks, and a number of regional radio stations; 1 TV and 3 radio stations are privately-owned and report domestic news stories directly from the official Tunisian news agency; the state retains control of broadcast facilities and transmitters through L'Office National de la Telediffusion; Tunisians also have access to Egyptian, pan-Arab, and European satellite TV channels (2007)
Prior to the Tunisian revolution there were four private radio stations operating in Tunisia: Mosaïque FM, Chems FM, Jawhara FM and Express FM. In June 2011, following the Tunisian revolution
Tunisian revolution
The Tunisian Revolution is an intensive campaign of civil resistance, including a series of street demonstrations taking place in Tunisia. The events began in December 2010 and led to the ousting of longtime President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011...
, a recommendation to license twelve new private radio stations was forwarded to the interim Prime Minister. In August 2011 none of the recommendations had been acted upon. However, one of the stations, Radio 6, is broadcasting without a license.
Internet
- Top level domain (TLD): .tn.tn.tn is the Internet country code top-level domain for Tunisia.-Second-level domains:Registrations can be made directly at the second level, or at the third level beneath these names:* .com.tn* .ens.tn* .fin.tn* .gov.tn* .ind.tn* .intl.tn...
- Access: Available throughout the country using a fibre-optic backbone
- Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 12 (2005)
- International bandwidth: 37.5 Gbits/s in 2010, up from 1.3 Gbits/s in 2006
- Internet users: 3,600,000 (2010), 840,000 (2005); 410,000 (2001)
- Internet penetration: 33.9% (2010)
- Broadband Internet subscribers: 372,818 or 3.6% (2009), 43,845 or 0.4% (2006)
- Facebook subscribers: 2,602,640 (2011)
- Facebook penetration: 24.5% (2011)
- Public CyberCafés: 350 (2005)
Information and communications technology
The Tunisian government considers information and communications technology (ICT) an important tool to boost the country’s economy and to adapt the education system to the opportunities available from using Information Technology (IT) as a tool. E-commerce, e-learningE-learning
E-learning comprises all forms of electronically supported learning and teaching. The information and communication systems, whether networked learning or not, serve as specific media to implement the learning process...
, and e-medicine
Telemedicine
Telemedicine is the use of telecommunication and information technologies in order to provide clinical health care at a distance. It helps eliminate distance barriers and can improve access to medical services that would often not be consistently available in distant rural communities...
are all areas of strong interest where the Government is seeking international partnership and investments. During the last 15 years, several important efforts were made to invest in ICT and the Internet. Physical infrastructures were modernised. In July 2004 the World Bank approved a $13 million loan to the Tunisian government to support the government effort in accelerating its ICT reforms. Though, beyond the high priority the government is giving to ICT, development of telecommunications in Tunisia has been slower than expected compared to other developing countries in Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
.
2005 World Summit on the Information Society
The first World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was held in Geneva in 2003. TunisiaTunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
hosted the second World Summit in November 2005. The Tunisian government took the initiative to host the summit in 1998. It was organised by the International Telecommunication Union
International Telecommunication Union
The International Telecommunication Union is the specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for information and communication technologies...
(ITU) under the auspices of UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
. A declaration of Principles and Plan of Action were approved in order to bridge the digital gap between developing and developed countries within the World Information Society.