Timor-Leste Communications 2021, CIA World Factbook

total subscriptions: 2,075

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

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 1,425,256

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 105.41 (2019 est.)

Telecommunication systems

general assessment:

following years of civil unrest, the government and operators are working toward regeneration of the economy and telecom infrastructure; service in urban and some rural areas expanding with competition; most of the population has access to 4G LTE service; increase in mobile-broadband penetration; government aims to boost e-government services with new national terrestrial fiber-optic network; launch of satellite and approval for submarine cable link to Australia will boost sector growth; importer of broadcasting equipment from Indonesia and China (2021)

(2020)

domestic: system suffered significant damage during the violence associated with independence; limited fixed-line services, less than 1 per 100 and mobile-cellular services have been expanding and are now available in urban and most rural areas with teledensity of 110 per 100 (2019)

international: country code - 670; international service is available; partnership with Australia telecom companies for potential deployment of a submarine fiber-optic link (NWCS); geostationary earth orbit satellite

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

7 TV stations (3 nationwide satellite coverage; 2 terrestrial coverage, mostly in Dili; 2 cable) and 21 radio stations (3 nationwide coverage) (2019)

Internet country code

.tl

Internet users

total: 363,398

percent of population: 27.49% (July 2018 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 600

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

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