Samoa Communications 2021, CIA World Factbook

total subscriptions: 8,770

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 4.33 (2019 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 128,776

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 63.58 (2019 est.)

Telecommunication systems

general assessment:

development of infrastructure is hampered by geography of remote islands, vulnerable to devastating storms; telecom sector has been inhibited by lack of international connectivity; most households have at least one mobile phone; businesses in the capital area have access to broadband and Wi-Fi; rural islands have some access to Internet and Wi-Fi; liberalized regulatory infrastructure and competition in the mobile market increased coverage and reduced cost; access to submarine cables improved Internet data rates and reliability; Australian companies countering Chinese companies in the acquisition of Pacific operations; importer of broadcasting equipment from USA (2020)

(2020)

domestic: fixed-line 4 per 100 and mobile-cellular teledensity 64 telephones per 100 persons (2019)

international: country code - 685; landing points for the Tui-Samo, Manatua, SAS, and Southern Cross NEXT submarine cables providing connectivity to Samoa, Fiji, Wallis & Futuna, Cook Islands, Niue, French Polynesia, American Samoa, Australia, New Zealand, Kiribati, Los Angeles (US), and Tokelau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific 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

state-owned TV station privatized in 2008; 4 privately owned television broadcast stations; about a half-dozen privately owned radio stations and one state-owned radio station; TV and radio broadcasts of several stations from American Samoa are available (2019)

Internet country code

.ws

Internet users

total: 67,662

percent of population: 33.61% (July 2018 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 1,692

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2017 est.)

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