The Eritrean Telecommunication Services Corporation (formerly the Telecommunications Service of Eritrea), more commonly known as EriTel, is the sole operator of landline telephone communication infrastructure in

Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...

. It is also the sole operator of the mobile telephone service. However, it is but one of several

internet service provider An Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides a myriad of services related to accessing, using, managing, or participating in the Internet. ISPs can be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, no ...

s in the country.

Overview

EriTel (mobile phone operator)

Mobile service by EriTel started in March 2004 and service has grown considerably since inception. EriTel, as of 2013, has nearly 358,000 users, though access to

SIM card A typical SIM card (mini-SIM with micro-SIM cutout)A SIM card or SIM (subscriber identity module) is an integrated circuit (IC) intended to securely store an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) number and its related key, which are u ...

s are severely restricted, requiring applications to the government. EriTel operates a GSM 900 network which covers almost all major urban areas including:

Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera (), is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region (Eritrea), Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the List of capital cities by altitude, sixth highest capital in the wo ...

, Embatkala,

Ghinda Ghinda () is a town in the Northern Red Sea region of Eritrea. It is situated in the Ghinda subregion, and lies between Asmara and Massawa. Overview Ghinda is a major fruit and vegetable growing area and a centre for Tigre people, Tigrinya p ...

Massawa Massawa or Mitsiwa ( ) is a port city in the Northern Red Sea Region, Northern Red Sea region of Eritrea, located on the Red Sea at the northern end of the Gulf of Zula beside the Dahlak Archipelago. It has been a historically important port for ...

Dekemhare Dekemhare (; sometimes spelled ''Decamare,'' Italian: ''Decamerè'') is a town in Eritrea in the Southern Region, southeast of the national capital of Asmara. During the Italian colonial period, the town became a major center of industry and agr ...

Mendefera Mendefera ( Tigrinya: መንደፈራ), formerly Adi Ugri, is an ancient town which is now the capital city of the Southern Region or Zoba Debub of Eritrea.One World-Nations Online, All countries of the world, Map of Eritrea The town's name der ...

, Keren,

Adi Keyh Adi Keyh ( "Red Village"), is a market town in Eritrea, lying approximatively 110 kilometers southeast of Asmara. It lies almost 2,500 metres above sea level and has a population of around 40,000 people. They speak Tigrinya and saho. The ruins of ...

, Barentu,

Teseney Teseney (, ), also spelled Tessenei or Tesseney, is a market town in western Eritrea. It lies south-east of Kassala in Sudan, on the Gash River. The city was much fought over in the Eritrean War of Independence during which much of it was destroy ...

Agordat Agordat (also spelled Akordat or Ak'ordat) is a city in Gash-Barka, Eritrea. It was the capital of the former Barka Province, which was situated between the present-day Gash-Barka and Anseba regions. History Agordat was historically a key ce ...

, Sawa, and Nakfa. This branch of EriTel was founded jointly between the

Government of Eritrea The politics of Eritrea and the government of Eritrea take place in the framework of a One-party state, single-party Presidential system, presidential republic currently under a Totalitarianism, totalitarian dictatorship. The President of Eri ...

and Ubambo Investment Holdings Limited, a South African firm. EriTel doesn't provide its customers with SMS services to foreign locations.

EriTel (ISP)

As an internet operator, EriTel was among the first companies to get a license to operate. To provide its product the firm provides internet cafes, leased lines and dial-up connections. However, connections are typically overcrowded and congestion is an acknowledged problem. EriTel controls the national gateway, which it created in partnership with

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian United States foreign aid, foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 19 ...

EriTel (landline operator)

EriTel assumed this infrastructure from the Postal and Telecommunications Authority once they were split into separate entities. The infrastructure that is used was laid during the Italian colonial period. It consists primarily of aging copper wire, though in the major urban centers, including Asmara, Massawa, and Keren, upgrades have been made to the switching systems.

References

External links

* Telecommunications companies of Eritrea Government of Eritrea Organisations based in Asmara 1996 establishments in Eritrea Telecommunications companies established in 1996 {{Eritrea-stub