Telecommunications in the Republic of the Congo

Telecommunications in the Republic of the Congo include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.

Radio and television

• Radio stations:
  • Three state-owned radio stations; several privately owned radio stations; rebroadcasts of several international broadcasters are available (2007);^[1]
  • 1 AM, 5 FM, and 1 shortwave stations (1999).
• Radios: 341,000 (1997).
• Television stations:
  • One state-owned and several privately owned TV stations; satellite TV service is available; rebroadcasts of several international broadcasters are available (2007);^[1]
  • One station (1999).
• Television sets: 33,000 (1997).

Most citizens obtain their news from local radio or television stations as there are no nationwide radio or television stations.^[2]

Stations from nearby Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, can be received in Brazzaville and rebroadcasts of the BBC (103.8 FM), Radio France Internationale, and the Voice of America are available.^[3]

Telephones

• Calling code: +242^[1]
• International call prefix: 00^[4]
• Main lines:
  • 14,900 lines in use, 196th in the world (2012);^[1]
  • 21,000 lines in use (1995).
• Mobile cellular:
  • 4.3 million lines, 118th in the world (2012).^[1]
  • 1.1 million lines (2007).
• Telephone system: primary network consists of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable with services barely adequate for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo; intercity lines frequently out of order; fixed-line infrastructure inadequate providing less than 1 connection per 100 persons; in the absence of an adequate fixed line infrastructure, mobile-cellular subscribership has surged to 90 per 100 persons (2011).^[1]
• Satellite earth stations: 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2011).^[1]
• Communications cables: West Africa Cable System (WACS), a submarine communications cable connecting countries along the west coast of Africa with each other and with the UK.^[5]

Internet

• Top-level domain: .cg^[1]
• Internet users:
  • 266,635 users, 145th in the world; 6.1% of the population, 182nd in the world (2012);^[6][7]
  • 245,200 users, 136th in the world (2009).^[1]
• Fixed broadband: 393 subscriptions, 190th in the world; less than 0.05% of the population, 185th in the world (2012).^[6][8]
• Wireless broadband: 90,906 subscriptions, 120th in the world; 2.1% of the population, 125th in the world (2012).^[9]
• Internet hosts: 45 hosts, 215th in the world (2012).^[1]
• IPv4: 12,288 addresses allocated, less than 0.05% of the world total, 2.8 addresses per 1000 people (2012).^[10][11]
• Internet Service Providers (ISPs): Afripa telecom, Airtel Congo, and Ofis computers.

A growing proportion of the public, especially youth, are accessing the Internet more frequently and utilizing online social media. However, only the most affluent have Internet access in their own homes; others who accessed it use cybercafes.^[2]

Internet censorship and surveillance

There are no government restrictions on access to the Internet, or reports the government monitors e-mail or Internet chat rooms. The constitution and law provide for freedom of speech and press, and the government generally respects these rights. The law makes certain types of speech illegal, including incitement of ethnic hatred, violence, or civil war.^[2]

The constitution and law prohibit arbitrary interference with privacy, family, home, or correspondence, and the government generally respects these prohibitions. The government makes no known attempts to collect personally identifiable information via the Internet.^[2]

See also

• Radiodiffusion Télévision Congolaise, state-owned national broadcaster of the Republic of the Congo.
• Media of the Republic of the Congo
• List of radio stations in Africa
• List of television stations in Africa
• List of terrestrial fibre optic cable projects in Africa

References

•  This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook document "2014 edition".
•  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Department of State.

1. "Communications: Republic of the Congo", World Factbook, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, 7 January 2014. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
2. "Republic of the Congo", Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 27 March 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
3. "Republic of Congo profile", BBC News, 20 September 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
4. Dialing Procedures (International Prefix, National (Trunk) Prefix and National (Significant) Number) (in Accordance with ITY-T Recommendation E.164 (11/2010)), Annex to ITU Operational Bulletin No. 994-15.XII.2011, International Telecommunication Union (ITU, Geneva), 15 December 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
5. "WACS has landed", IT News Africa, 19 April 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
6. Calculated using penetration rate and population data from "Countries and Areas Ranked by Population: 2012", Population data, International Programs, U.S. Census Bureau, retrieved 26 June 2013
7. "Percentage of Individuals using the Internet 2000-2012", International Telecommunications Union (Geneva), June 2013, retrieved 22 June 2013
8. "Fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 2012", Dynamic Report, ITU ITC EYE, International Telecommunication Union. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
9. "Active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 2012", Dynamic Report, ITU ITC EYE, International Telecommunication Union. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
10. Select Formats, Country IP Blocks. Accessed on 2 April 2012. Note: Site is said to be updated daily.
11. Population, The World Factbook, United States Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on 2 April 2012. Note: Data are mostly for 1 July 2012.

External links

• NIC.cg, registry for .cg domain.
• "ICT Policy in Congo", Africa ICT Policy Monitor, Association for Progressive Communications (APC), March 2009.
• "Republic of the Congo country report", CIA World Factbook.