Libya Communications - 2022

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 1.576 million (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 23 (2020 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 2.922 million (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 43 (2020 est.)

Telecommunication systems

general assessment: political and security instability in Libya has disrupted its telecom sector; much of its infrastructure remains superior to that in most other African countries; rival operators fight for control; investment in fiber backbone and upgrades to international cables; limited LTE and 5G service; some satellite broadband; in 2021 Libya signed deals and projects with US firms to upgrade portions of its infrastructure, increasing the diversity of its telecommunications networks (2022)

domestic: nearly 23 per 100 fixed-line and over 43 per 100 mobile-cellular subscriptions; service generally adequate (2020)

international: country code - 218; landing points for LFON, EIG, Italy-Libya, Silphium and Tobrok-Emasaed submarine cable system connecting Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat, Arabsat, and Intersputnik;  microwave radio relay to Tunisia and Egypt; tropospheric scatter to Greece; participant in Medarabtel (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

state-funded and private TV stations; some provinces operate local TV stations; pan-Arab satellite TV stations are available; state-funded radio (2019)

Internet country code

.ly

Internet users

total: 1,491,040 (2019 est.)

percent of population: 22% (2019 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 332,000 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 5 (2020 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding Libya 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 Libya 2022 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Libya 2022 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.