Communications in Iraq

This article describes the communication infrastructure of Iraq.

Telephone system

The 2003 Iraq war severely disrupted telecommunications throughout Iraq, including international connections. USAID is overseeing the repair of switching capability and the construction of mobile and satellite communications facilities.

"Main telephone lines in use": 833,000 (as of 2005)
"Number of mobile cellular phones": 9,000,000 (as of 2005)
"Domestic telephone network": Repairs to switches and lines have been made. Cellular service is in place since 2004.
[http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2005-03-03-cell-phones_x.htm USA Today from 2005 about Iraq and it's Telecommunications] Iraqna, an Orascom Telecom company, is the biggest GSM Cell phone provider in Iraq.

"International connections":
* 2 Intelsat satellite earth stations (1 Atlantic Ocean region, 1 Indian Ocean region)
* 1 Intersputnik satellite earth station (Atlantic Ocean region)
* 1 Arabsat satellite earth station (inoperative)
* Coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey (the line to Kuwait is probably not operational)

see Telephone numbers in Iraq

Broadcast stations

There are approximately 80 radio broadcast stations and 21 television broadcast stations, as of 2004. There are approximately 4.85 million radios and 1.75 million televisions in Iraq (as of 1997).

Until the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, broadcasting was largely the domain of the Iraqi Broadcasting and Television Establishment (IBTE). The IBTE, in turn, was dominated by the Ministry of Information. The IBTE had a habit of airing programming praising Saddam Hussein, including poetry readings when the station was down and "music videos" praising Saddam. Most of the transmitters were in the Baghdad area, but there were also a few regional stations. The IBTE aired former CBS reporter Dan Rather's interview with Saddam Hussein as well as the news from Baghdad Bob during the run up to the US invasion of Iraq. After the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, the IBTE was dissolved. As of 2005, there has been a vibrant media scene in Iraq, though limited by the continuing insurgency. The current regulator is the [http://www.iraqicmc.org Iraqi Communications and Media Commission] . The current public broadcaster is the [http://www.iraqimedianet.net/ Iraqi Media Network] , which is a successor to the Coalition Provisional Authority's radio stations and several other radio and television stations. The Iraqi Media Network currently operates the Radio of the Republic of Iraq and the government supported al-Iraqiya TV station. Many private TV stations are available such as the popular Al Sharqiya. Other radio stations showcase the diversity of opinions, from the hard-line Islamic line of some stations to Radio Sawa, politically-oriented stations, and Kurdish stations. The BBC World Service also broadcasts here. AFN and BFBS also have stations in here for their personnel. Other foreign radio stations broadcasting in Iraq include the UAE's Middle East Broadcasting Centre(MBC), Radio Monte Carlo Moyen-Orient, and Radio France International.Sources: World Radio Television Handbook, 1990, 2003, and 2005; MSN Encarta Online Encyclopedia; [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saddam/etc/video.html Frontline, a PBS documentary]

Internet

Until the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, Internet access was tightly controlled and very few people were thought to be online; in 2002 it was estimated that only 25,000 Iraqis used the internet. Since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, internet access has become commonplace. Uruklink, originally the sole Iraqi Internet service provider, now faces competition from other ISPs, including broadband satellite internet access services from both Middle East and European VSAT hubs.

The top level Iraq domain ID is .iq

Sources: [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/country_profiles/791014.stm BBC] , [http://www.uruklink.net/ Uruklink]

Postal system

A contract worth $55 million was recently awarded for a study of the postal system in Iraq as part of the social and economic infrastructure reconstruction program.(2003) An article in the "Der Spiegel" magazine (www.spiegel.de), Feb. 2007, about the Iraqi postal system points out that although it is a high risk job a large number of postal employees risk their lives every day in order to provide a certain degree of normality to the people of Baghdad.

ee also

Iraqi Post