Lesotho Communications 2021, CIA World Factbook

total subscriptions: 13,426

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (2019 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 1,583,192

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 73.74 (2019 est.)

Telecommunication systems

general assessment:

small market with few business incentives; fixed-line tele-density and mobile penetration remains below regional average; introduction of mobile broadband in the country and LTE technology; 5G testing among first in region; landlocked, Lesotho has access to several submarine cables on African coast through neighboring countries yet Internet is expensive; importer of broadcasting equipment and computers from South Africa (2021)

(2020)

domestic: fixed-line is 1 per 100 subscriptions; mobile-cellular service dominates the market with a subscribership now over 114 per 100 persons; rudimentary system consisting of a modest number of landlines, a small microwave radio relay system, and a small radiotelephone communication system (2019)

international: country code - 266; Internet accessibility has improved with several submarine fiber optic cables that land on African east and west coasts, but the country's land locked position makes access prices expensive; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2019)

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 and 2 state-owned radio stations; government controls most private broadcast media; satellite TV subscription service available; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters obtainable (2019)

Internet country code

.ls

Internet users

total: 569,114

percent of population: 29% (July 2018 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 6,329

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (2018 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding Lesotho 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 Lesotho 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Lesotho 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.