Tuvalu Communications 2021, CIA World Factbook

total subscriptions: 1,978

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 17.59 (2019 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 7,911

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 70.36 (2019 est.)

Telecommunication systems

general assessment: internal communications needs met; small global scale of over 11,000 people on 9 inhabited islands; mobile subscriber penetration about 40% and broadband about 10% penetration; govt. owned and sole provider of telecommunications services; 2G widespread; the launch in 2019 of the Kacific-1 satellite will improve the telecommunication sector for the Asia Pacific region (2020)

domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands; fixed-line 18 per 100 and mobile-cellular 70 per 100 (2019)

international: country code - 688; international calls can be made by 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

no TV stations; many households use satellite dishes to watch foreign TV stations; 1 government-owned radio station, Radio Tuvalu, includes relays of programming from international broadcasters (2019)

Internet country code

.tv

Internet users

total: 5,498

percent of population: 49.32% (July 2018 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 1,000

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 9 (2017 est.)

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