Kiribati Communications 2022, CIA World Factbook

total subscriptions: 33 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2020 est.) less than 1

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 54,661 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 46 (2020 est.)

Telecommunication systems

general assessment: generally good national and international service; wireline service available on Tarawa and Kiritimati (Christmas Island); connections to outer islands by HF/VHF radiotelephone; recently formed (mobile network operator) MNO is implementing the first phase of improvements with 3G and 4G upgrades on some islands; islands are connected to each other and the rest of the world via satellite; launch of Kacific-1 in December 2019 will improve telecommunication for Kiribati (2020)

domestic: fixed-line less than 1 per 100 and mobile-cellular approximately 46 per 100 subscriptions (2020)

international: country code - 686; landing point for the Southern Cross NEXT submarine cable system from Australia, 7 Pacific Ocean island countries to the US; 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 a downturn, particularly in mobile device production; progress toward 5G implementation has resumed, as well as upgrades to infrastructure; consumer spending on telecom services has increased due to the surge in demand for capacity and bandwidth; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home is still evident, and the spike in this area has seen growth opportunities for development of new tools and increased services

Broadcast media

multi-channel TV packages provide access to Australian and US stations; 1 government-operated radio station broadcasts on AM, FM, and shortwave (2017)

Internet country code

.ki

Internet users

total: 45,390 (2020 est.)

percent of population: 38% (2020 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 185 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.2 (2020 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding Kiribati on this page is re-published from the 2022 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Kiribati 2022 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Kiribati 2022 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.