Communications in Nigeria
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Telephones - main lines in use: 500,000 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: Recent deregulation of the mobile phone market has led to the introduction of GSM mobile network providers operating on the 900/1800 MHz spectrum, MTN Nigeria [1] (http://www.mtnonline.com),V-Mobile[2] (http://www.vmobile-nigeria.com), Globacom [3] (http://www.gloworld.com)and MTel[4] (http://www.mtelnigeria.com). Use of cell-phones have soared, and have mostly replaced the unreliable Nitel operated ground phones. The current estimate lies at about 14,000,000 mobile phones (June 2005).
Telephone system:
an inadequate system, further limited by poor maintenance; major expansion is required and a start has been made. New cellular phone introduction has fixed the communication problem to a large part.
domestic:
intercity traffic is carried by coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, a domestic communications satellite system with 19 earth stations, and a coastal submarine cable; mobile cellular facilities and the Internet are available
international:
satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); coaxial submarine cable SAFE (South African Far East)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 83, FM 36, shortwave 11 (2001)
Radios: 23.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 3 (the government controls 2 of the broadcasting stations and 15 repeater stations) (2002); note - in addition, in 1993, 14 licenses to operate private television stations were granted (1999). Each state has one or two locally operated and broadcasted terrestrial station. This means that there are about 50 government owned, but partly independent Television stations. There is general access to M-Net, a south African cable Television station, broadcast over Satellite. M-Net has offices in most Nigerian cities, and is viewed by a large number of people.
Televisions: 6.9 million (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 11 (2000). There is satellite access to European Satellite internet providers all over the countries. In most towns in Nigeria, there are 5 or more public internet Cafes, privately owned and operated, and often connected over European internet connections.
Internet Users: 100,000 (2000)
Country code (Top level domain): NG
See also:
- Nigeria
- Mobile Nigeria forums (http://www.mobilenigeria.com): An unofficial mobile network customer forum.
- Mobile Communications in Nigeria (http://www.mobileafrica.net/mobile-nigeria.php): News and useful information
- Nigeria's online discussion forum for mobile users (http://www.abujamobile.com)