Communications in Afghanistan - Telephone

Telephone

Further information: Telephone numbers in Afghanistan

There are about 18 million GSM mobile phone subscribers in Afghanistan as of 2009, with over 75,000 fixed-telephone-lines and little over 190,000 CDMA subscribers. Mobile communications have improved because of the introduction of wireless carriers into this developing country. The first was Afghan Wireless, which is US based that was founded by Ehsan Bayat. The second was Roshan, which began providing services to all major cities within Afghanistan. There are also a number of VSAT stations in major cities such as Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, Mazari Sharif, and Jalalabad, providing international and domestic voice/data connectivity. The international calling code for Afghanistan is +93. The following is a partial list of mobile phone companies in the country:

  • Afghan Wireless
  • Roshan
  • Etisalat
  • MTN Group

All the companies providing communication services are obligated to deliver 2.5% of their income to the communication development fund annually.

According to the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology there are 4760 active towers throughout the country which covers 85% of the population. The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology plans to expand its services in remote parts of the country where the remaining 15% of the population will be covered with the installation of 700 new towers. An agreement worth US $32 million has been signed with a Chinese contractor for the realization of the plan.

Read more about this topic:  Communications In Afghanistan

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