Telecommunications in the Gambia

Telecommunications in the Gambia includes radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.

## Radio and television

[edit]

Radio Syd near Banjul

See also: Gambia Radio & Television Service and Radio Gambia

* Radio: The state-owned Gambia Radio and Television Service has two AM stations (Bonto, Basse) and three FM stations (Bonto, Serrekunda, Banjul). There are also seven private FM stations in Serrekunda, Banjul, and Basse.[1] There are nine community FM radio stations.Transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available, some via shortwave radio (2007).[2]
* Radio sets: 196,000 (1997).[needs update]
* Television: The Gambia Radio and Television Service operates a single-channel TV service with the main transmitter at Banjul and numerous relay stations.[1] Transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available; cable and satellite TV subscription services are obtainable in some parts of the country (2007).[2] Today, there are five more radio stations in the Gambia.
* Television sets: 4,000 (1997).[needs update]

## Telephones

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See also: Telephone numbers in the Gambia

* Calling code: +220[2]
* International call prefix: 00[3]
* Main lines: 64,200 lines in use, 159th in the world (2012).[2]
* Mobile cellular: 1.5 million lines, 151st in the world (2012).[2]
* Teledensity: ~80 per 100 persons, combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular (2011).[2]
* Domestic:
* Adequate microwave radio relay and open-wire network (2011).[2]
* State-owned Gambia Telecommunications Company (Gamtel) partially privatized in 2007.[2]
* International:
* Microwave radio relay: Links to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau (2011).[2]
* Satellite earth station: 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2011).[2]
* Communications cables: Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) fiber-optic submarine cable (2011).[2]

## Internet

[edit]

* Top-level domain: .gm[2]
* Internet users: 229,122 users, 151st in the world; 12.4% of the population, 165th in the world (2012).[4][5]
* Fixed broadband: 497 subscriptions, 188th in the world; less than 0.05% of the population, 178th in the world (2012).[4][6]
* Wireless broadband: 22,435 subscriptions, 131st in the world; 1.2% of the population, 132nd in the world (2012).[7]
* Internet hosts: 656 hosts, 179th in the world (2012).[2]
* IPv4: 21,504 addresses allocated, less than 0.05% of the world total, 11.7 addresses per 1000 people (2012).[8][9]

### Internet censorship and surveillance

[edit]

The Gambia is not individually classified by the OpenNet Initiative (ONI), but is classified as engaged in selective Internet filtering based on the limited descriptions in the ONI 2009 profile for the sub-Saharan Africa region.[10]

There are no government restrictions on access to the Internet or reports that the government monitors e-mail or Internet chat rooms without appropriate legal authority. Individuals and groups can generally engage in the peaceful expression of views via the Internet, including by e-mail. However, Internet users reported they could not access the Web sites of foreign online newspapers Freedom, The Gambia Echo, Hellogambia, and Jollofnews, which criticized the government.[11]

The constitution and law provide for freedom of speech and press; however, the government restricted these rights. According to the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, "the environment for independent and opposition media remained hostile, with numerous obstacles to freedom of expression, including administrative hurdles, arbitrary arrest and detention, intimidation and judicial harassment against journalists, and the closure of media outlets, leading to self-censorship." Individuals who publicly or privately criticized the government or the president risked government reprisal. In March 2011 President Jammeh warned independent journalists that he would "not compromise or sacrifice the peace, security, stability, dignity, and the well being of Gambians for the sake of freedom of expression." Accusing some journalists of being the "mouthpiece of opposition parties," he vowed to prosecute any journalist who offended him. The National Intelligence Agency (NIA) was involved in arbitrary closure of media outlets and the extrajudicial detention of journalists.[11]

In 2007 a Gambian journalist living in the US was convicted of sedition for an article published online; she was fined US$12,000;[12] in 2006 the Gambian police ordered all subscribers to an online independent newspaper to report to the police or face arrest.[13]

The constitution and law prohibit arbitrary interference with privacy, family, home, or correspondence, but the government does not respect these prohibitions. Observers believe the government monitors citizens engaged in activities that it deems objectionable.[11]

In recent years before the 2016 election social media like WhatsApp, Facebook and Skype have been temporarily blocked in The Gambia. Since 30 November 2016, the evening before the presidential election, internet access, mobile communication and phone calls have been completely shut down by all providers, as ordered by the president of The Gambia.[14]

## See also

[edit]

* Africell, mobile telecommunications company operating in The Gambia, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
* Gamtel, the Gambia Telecommunications Company.
* Qcell, Qcell Gambia Co. Ltd., the Gambia Telecommunications Company.
* Comium, Comium Gambia Co. Ltd., Telecommunications Company, is fully owned subsidiary of the Comium Group Luxemburg.
* Netpage Ltd., Netpage Gambia Co. Ltd., Telecommunications Company.
* Quantum Ltd., QuantumNet Gambia Co. Ltd., Telecommunications Company.
* Vizocom, a global satellite internet provider with coverage in the African continent

## References

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* This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook (2025 ed.). CIA. (Archived 2013 edition.)
* This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Department of State.

1. ^ a b World Radio and Television Handbook. Oxford, UK: WRTH Publications, Ltd. 2010.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Communications: The Gambia", World Factbook, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, 4 December 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
3. ^ 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.
4. ^ a b Calculated using penetration rate and population data from "Countries and Areas Ranked by Population: 2012" Archived 2017-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, Population data, International Programs, U.S. Census Bureau, retrieved 26 June 2013
5. ^ "Percentage of Individuals using the Internet 2000-2012", International Telecommunication Union (Geneva), June 2013, retrieved 22 June 2013
6. ^ "Fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 2012" Archived 26 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine, Dynamic Report, ITU ITC EYE, International Telecommunication Union. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
7. ^ "Active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 2012" Archived 26 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine, Dynamic Report, ITU ITC EYE, International Telecommunication Union. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
8. ^ Select Formats Archived 2009-05-13 at the Wayback Machine, Country IP Blocks. Accessed on 2 April 2012. Note: Site is said to be updated daily.
9. ^ Population, The World Factbook, United States Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on 2 April 2012. Note: Data are mostly for 1 July 2012.
10. ^ "ONI Regional Overview: Sub-Saharan Africa", OpenNet Initiative, September 2009
11. ^ a b c "The Gambia", Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012, U.S. Department of State, 5 April 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
12. ^ "Africa Overview" Archived 7 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine, International Press Institute
13. ^ "Online newspaper hacked, editor smeared and subscribers threatened" Archived 2009-07-02 at the Portuguese Web Archive, Reporters Without Borders, 30 May 2006
14. ^ "Gambia blocks internet on election day". BBC News. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2018.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Telecommunications in the Gambia.

* Department Of State For Communications Information & Information Technology (DOSCIT).
* Gamtel, Gambia Telecommunications Company.
* Gamcel Archived 2 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine, mobile phone company.
* Gambia Radio & Television Services (GRTS).
* Africell Gambia, mobile phone company.

* v
* t
* e

Telecommunications in Africa

Sovereign states|

* Algeria
* Angola
* Benin
* Botswana
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Cameroon
* Cape Verde
* Central African Republic
* Chad
* Comoros
* Democratic Republic of the Congo
* Republic of the Congo
* Djibouti
* Egypt
* Equatorial Guinea
* Eritrea
* Eswatini
* Ethiopia
* Gabon
* The Gambia
* Ghana
* Guinea
* Guinea-Bissau
* Ivory Coast
* Kenya
* Lesotho
* Liberia
* Libya
* Madagascar
* Malawi
* Mali
* Mauritania
* Mauritius
* Morocco
* Mozambique
* Namibia
* Niger
* Nigeria
* Rwanda
* São Tomé and Príncipe
* Senegal
* Seychelles
* Sierra Leone
* Somalia
* South Africa
* South Sudan
* Sudan
* Tanzania
* Togo
* Tunisia
* Uganda
* Zambia
* Zimbabwe

States with limited
recognition

* Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
* Somaliland

Dependencies and
other territories

* Canary Islands / Ceuta / Melilla (Spain)
* Madeira (Portugal)
* Mayotte / Réunion (France)
* Saint Helena / Ascension Island / Tristan da Cunha (United Kingdom)
* Western Sahara

* v
* t
* e

Telecommunications

History|

* Beacon
* Broadcasting
* Cable protection system
* Cable TV
* Communications satellite
* Computer network
* Data compression
* audio
* DCT
* image
* video
* Digital media
* Internet video
* online video platform
* social media
* streaming
* Drums
* Edholm's law
* Electrical telegraph
* Fax
* Heliographs
* Hydraulic telegraph
* Information Age
* Information revolution
* Internet
* Mass media
* Mobile phone
* Smartphone
* Optical telecommunication
* Optical telegraphy
* Pager
* Photophone
* Prepaid mobile phone
* Radio
* Radiotelephone
* Satellite communications
* Semaphore
* Phryctoria
* Semiconductor
* device
* MOSFET
* transistor
* Smoke signals
* Telecommunications history
* Telautograph
* Telegraphy
* Teleprinter (teletype)
* Telephone
* The Telephone Cases
* Television
* digital
* streaming
* Undersea telegraph line
* Videotelephony
* Whistled language
* Wireless revolution

Pioneers|

* Nasir Ahmed
* Edwin Howard Armstrong
* Mohamed M. Atalla
* John Logie Baird
* Paul Baran
* John Bardeen
* Alexander Graham Bell
* Emile Berliner
* Tim Berners-Lee
* Francis Blake
* Jagadish Chandra Bose
* Charles Bourseul
* Walter Houser Brattain
* Vint Cerf
* Claude Chappe
* Yogen Dalal
* Donald Davies
* Daniel Davis Jr.
* Amos Dolbear
* Thomas Edison
* Philo Farnsworth
* Reginald Fessenden
* Lee de Forest
* Elisha Gray
* Oliver Heaviside
* Robert Hooke
* Erna Schneider Hoover
* Harold Hopkins
* Gardiner Greene Hubbard
* Bob Kahn
* Dawon Kahng
* Charles K. Kao
* Narinder Singh Kapany
* Hedy Lamarr
* Roberto Landell
* Innocenzo Manzetti
* Guglielmo Marconi
* Robert Metcalfe
* Antonio Meucci
* Samuel Morse
* Jun-ichi Nishizawa
* Charles Grafton Page
* Radia Perlman
* Alexander Stepanovich Popov
* Tivadar Puskás
* Johann Philipp Reis
* Claude Shannon
* Almon Brown Strowger
* Henry Sutton
* Charles Sumner Tainter
* Nikola Tesla
* Camille Tissot
* Alfred Vail
* Thomas A. Watson
* Charles Wheatstone
* Vladimir K. Zworykin
* Internet pioneers

Transmission
media|

* Coaxial cable
* Fiber-optic communication
* optical fiber
* Free-space optical communication
* Molecular communication
* Radio waves
* wireless
* Transmission line
* telecommunication circuit

Network topology
and switching|

* Bandwidth
* Links
* Network switching
* circuit
* packet
* Nodes
* terminal
* Telephone exchange

Multiplexing|

* Space-division
* Frequency-division
* Time-division
* Polarization-division
* Orbital angular-momentum
* Code-division

Concepts|

* Communication protocol
* Computer network
* Data transmission
* Store and forward
* Telecommunications equipment

Types of network|

* Cellular network
* Ethernet
* ISDN
* LAN
* Mobile
* NGN
* Public Switched Telephone
* Radio
* Television
* Telex
* UUCP
* WAN
* Wireless network

Notable networks|

* ARPANET
* BITNET
* CYCLADES
* FidoNet
* Internet
* Internet2
* JANET
* NPL network
* TANet
* Toasternet
* Usenet

Locations|

* Africa
* Americas
* North
* South
* Antarctica
* Asia
* Europe
* Oceania
* Global telecommunications regulation bodies

* Telecommunication portal
* Category
* Outline
* Commons

* v
* t
* e

Internet censorship and surveillance by country

Africa|

* Algeria
* Angola
* Botswana
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Cameroon
* Central African Republic
* Chad
* Congo DR
* Congo RO
* Egypt
* Eritrea
* Ethiopia
* Gambia
* Ghana
* Guinea
* Guinea-Bissau
* Ivory Coast
* Kenya
* Lesotho
* Liberia
* Libya
* Madagascar
* Malawi
* Mauritania
* Morocco (Western Sahara)
* Mozambique
* Namibia
* Niger
* Nigeria
* Rwanda
* Senegal
* Sierra Leone
* Somalia
* South Africa
* Sudan
* Swaziland
* Tanzania
* Togo
* Tunisia
* Zambia
* Zimbabwe

Americas|

* Argentina
* Bahamas
* Barbados
* Belize
* Bolivia
* Brazil
* Canada
* Chile
* Colombia
* Costa Rica
* Cuba
* Dominican Republic
* Ecuador
* El Salvador
* Greenland
* Guatemala
* Guyana
* Haiti
* Honduras
* Jamaica
* Mexico
* Nicaragua
* Panama
* Paraguay
* Peru
* Suriname
* Trinidad and Tobago
* United States
* Puerto Rico
* Uruguay
* Venezuela

Asia|

* Afghanistan
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* Cambodia
* China
* East Timor
* Hong Kong
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Iraq
* Israel
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kuwait
* Kyrgyzstan
* Malaysia
* Mongolia
* Myanmar
* Nepal
* North Korea
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Palestinian territories
* Philippines
* Qatar
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* South Korea
* Sri Lanka
* Syria
* Taiwan
* Tajikistan
* Thailand
* Turkmenistan
* United Arab Emirates
* Uzbekistan
* Vietnam
* Yemen

Europe|

* Albania
* Armenia
* Austria
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Germany (YouTube video blocking)
* Georgia
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Ireland
* Italy
* Kazakhstan
* Latvia
* Lithuania
* Moldova
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* North Macedonia
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom

Oceania|

* Australia
* Fiji
* New Zealand
* Papua New Guinea

* v
* t
* e

Economy of the Gambia

Currency: Gambian dalasi

Communications|

* Banking
* Communications
* History of Trade
* Transportation

Industries:|

* Agriculture
* Tourism
* Mining

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