Mauritius Communications 2021, CIA World Factbook

total subscriptions: 458,700

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 33.45 (2019 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 1,866,600

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 136.12 (2019 est.)

Telecommunication systems

general assessment: Mauritius is successfully pursuing a policy to make telecommunications a pillar of economic growth, and to have a fully digital-based smart infrastructure; the island nation is a pioneer in the telecom sector, with the first market in greater Africa to launch mobile networks and provide 3G, the first in the world to develop a nationwide WiMAX wireless broadband network, and one of the first to launch IPTV; LTE and fiber broadband are nationally available, and the government supports national Wi-Fi; international cable connectivity has improved, increasing bandwidth capacity; submarine cable provides connectivity to South Africa and beyond; major importer of broadcasting equipment from China (2021) (2020)

domestic: fixed-line teledensity 34 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular services teledensity approaching 151 per 100 persons (2019)

international: country code - 230; landing points for the SAFE, MARS, IOX Cable System, METISS and LION submarine cable system that provides links to Asia, Africa, Southeast Asia, Indian Ocean Islands of Reunion, Madagascar, and Mauritius; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); new microwave link to Reunion; HF radiotelephone links to several countries (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

the government maintains control over TV broadcasting through the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), which only operates digital TV stations since June 2015; MBC is a shareholder in a local company that operates 2 pay-TV stations; the state retains the largest radio broadcast network with multiple stations; several private radio broadcasters have entered the market since 2001; transmissions of at least 2 international broadcasters are available (2019)

Internet country code

.mu

Internet users

total: 799,470

percent of population: 58.6% (July 2018 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 307,200

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 22.4 (2019 est.)

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