Eswatini Communications 2021, CIA World Factbook

total subscriptions: 40,003

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 3.65 (2019 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 1,025,061

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 93.53 (2019 est.)

Telecommunication systems

general assessment: earlier government monopoly in telecom market hindered growth; liberalized regulators aided expansion in the telecom sector; lack of fixed-line infrastructure and competition stymies development of DSL and backbone network; 2G, 3G, 4G, and LTE services with coverage to most of the population; landlocked country depends on neighbors for international bandwidth; operator completed terrestrial cable linking Maputo through Eswatini to Johannesburg; importer of broadcasting equipment from South Africa (2020) (2019)

domestic: Eswatini has 2 mobile-cellular providers; communication infrastructure has a geographic coverage of about 90% and a rising subscriber base; fixed-line stands at 4 per 100 and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 94 telephones per 100 persons; telephone system consists of carrier-equipped, open-wire lines and low-capacity, microwave radio relay (2019)

international: country code - 268; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments

Broadcast media

1 state-owned TV station; satellite dishes are able to access South African providers; state-owned radio network with 3 channels; 1 private radio station (2019)

Internet country code

.sz

Internet users

total: 510,984

percent of population: 47% (July 2018 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 7,000

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (2017 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding Eswatini on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Eswatini 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Eswatini 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.