Mauritania Communications - 2021

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 61,858

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1.58 (2019 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 4,710,800

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 120.32 (2019 est.)

Telecommunication systems

general assessment: Mauritania’s small population and low economic output limit sustained growth; transparency and tax burdens hinder foreign investment; World Bank and European Investment Bank support regulations to promote fixed-line broadband, improvement of the national backbone network, and connectivity to international cables; limited system of cable and open-wire lines, mobile-cellular services expanding though monopolies, and little stimulus for competition; 3G penetration high yet little development in LTE; mobile broadband access speeds are low; importer of broadcasting equipment from UAE (2021) (2020)

domestic: fixed-line teledensity 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular network coverage extends mainly to urban areas with a teledensity of roughly 104 per 100 persons; mostly cable and open-wire lines; a domestic satellite telecommunications system links Nouakchott with regional capitals (2019)

international: country code - 222; landing point for the ACE submarine cable for connectivity to 19 West African countries and 2 European countries; satellite earth stations - 3 (1 Intelsat - Atlantic Ocean, 2 Arabsat) (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

10 TV stations: 5 government-owned and 5 private; in October 2017, the government suspended all private TV stations due to non-payment of broadcasting fees; as of April 2018, only one private TV station was broadcasting, Al Mourabitoune, the official TV of the Mauritanian Islamist party, Tewassoul; the other stations are negotiating payment options with the government and hope to be back on the air soon; 18 radio broadcasters: 15 government-owned, 3 (Radio Nouakchott Libre, Radio Tenwir, Radio Kobeni) private; all 3 private radio stations broadcast from Nouakchott; of the 15 government stations, 3 broadcast from Nouakchott (Radio Mauritanie, Radio Jeunesse, Radio Koran) and the other 12 broadcast from each of the 12 regions outside Nouakchott; Radio Jeunesse and Radio Koran are now also being re-broadcast in the regions (2019)

Internet country code

.mr

Internet users

total: 798,809

percent of population: 20.8% (July 2018 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 10,815

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

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