Bahrain Communications - 2024

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 253,431 (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 18 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 1,923,443 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 131 (2021 est.)

Telecommunication systems

general assessment: Bahrain continues to develop its telecoms sector in a bid to develop its long-term Economic Vision 2030 strategy; this is a multi-faceted strategy aimed at developing a digital transformation across numerous sectors, including e-government, e-health, e-commerce, and e-banking; 5G services have become widely available since they were launched in 2020; Bahrain’s telecom sector by the Fourth National Telecommunications Plan (initiated in 2016) which focuses on fiber optic infrastructure deployment and establishing affordable prices for high-speed access (2022)

domestic: approximately 18 per 100 fixed-line and 131 per 100 mobile-cellular; modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly expanding mobile-cellular telephones (2021)

international: country code - 973; Bahrain’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has made part of the C-band spectrum available for 5G private networks, in line with the goals outlined in its Workplan for the 2022-23 period (2023)

Broadcast media

state-run Bahrain Radio and Television Corporation (BRTC) operates 5 terrestrial TV networks and several radio stations; satellite TV systems provide access to international broadcasts; 1 private FM station directs broadcasts to Indian listeners; radio and TV broadcasts from countries in the region are available (2019)

Internet country code

.bh

Internet users

total: 1.5 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 100% (2021 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 148,928 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 9 (2020 est.)