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 ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...

. 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 services for accessing, using, or participating in the Internet. ISPs can be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, non-profit, or otherwise private ...

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. 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. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The ...

, Embatkala,

Ghinda Ghinda ( ti, ጊንዳዕ) is a town in the Northern Red Sea Region, 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 ...

Massawa Massawa ( ; ti, ምጽዋዕ, məṣṣəwaʿ; gez, ምጽዋ; ar, مصوع; it, Massaua; pt, Maçuá) is a port city in the Northern Red Sea region of Eritrea, located on the Red Sea at the northern end of the Gulf of Zula beside the Dahlak ...

Dekemhare Dekemhare (sometimes spelled ''Decamare'') is a town in Eritrea, lying south east of Asmara. Developed as an industrial center, it became a large scale industrial and transportation city, known for its vineyards but was partly destroyed in the Eri ...

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 Keren may refer to: Places Inhabited places * Keren, Eritrea, a city in Eritrea, formerly called Cheren * Keren Subregion, Anseba region, Eritrea Other places * House of Keren, a historical house in Taganrog, Rostov Oblast, Russia * Keren, a cr ...

Adi Keyh Addi Keyh ( ti, ዓዲ ቐይሕ), also Adi Keyh Adi jeganu (Addi 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 aroun ...

, Barentu,

Teseney Teseney ( ar, تسني, ti, ተሰነይ), 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 ...

Agordat Agordat; also 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 Excavations in Agordat uncovered pottery re ...

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

Government of Eritrea The Politics of Eritrea and the Government of Eritrea takes place in a framework of a single-party presidential republican totalitarian dictatorship. The President officially serves as both head of state and head of government. The People's Fr ...

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 independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...

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