Telecommunications in Armenia involves the availability and use of
electronic
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic co ...
devices and services, such as the telephone, television, radio or computer, for the purpose of
communication
Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...
. The various
telecommunications systems
Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...
found and used in
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
includes radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the internet.
Mobile
As of 2017,
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
has 3.5 million mobile subscribers in total, and a 120% penetration rate.
There are three mobile phone operators currently in Armenia: Viva Cell MTS, Ucom and Beeline. All three offer both 2G and 3G as well as 4G services. All three networks are widely modern and reliable with shops located in major towns and cities where one can purchase a sim card or get assistance if needed. Most unlocked mobile phones are able to be used on roaming however network charges apply. Ucom and Viva Cell MTS are often recommended to tourists due to the variety of tariffs available and the help available in a variety of languages.
["Treguesit Statistikore Te Tregut Te Komunikimeve Elektronike"](_blank)
(Statistical Indicators for the Electronic Communications Market), Autoriteti Komunikimeve Elektronike Dhe Postare (Electronic Communications and Postal Authority), November 2011.
![Orange Armenia window display](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Orange_Armenia_window_display.JPG)
As of 2012, approximately 90% of all main lines are digitized and provide excellent quality services for the region. The remaining 10% is in modernization process.
International system
Yerevan
Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Y ...
is connected to the Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic cable via
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
. Additional international service is available by microwave radio relay and landline connections to other countries of the
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an area of and has an estimated population of 239,796,010. ...
, the
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
international switch and by satellite.
The main backbones of Armenian networks are made by E3 or STM-1 lines via microwave units across whole country with many passive retranslations.
Wire telephone services
Traditionally, Armenia has well-developed landline telephone services. According to official statistic data of the International Telecommunication Union, as of 2017 there were 505,190 fixed telephone service subscribers in Armenia (residents and businesses) or 17.24 subscribers per 100 inhabitants. The number of fixed telephone users have significantly declined as compared with the previous 10 years from 20.41 in 2006.
The main reason for the decline is mobile-fixed substitution.
Radio
As of 2008, Armenia has 9 AM stations, 17 FM stations, and one shortwave station. Additionally, there are approximately 850,000 radios in existence.
The primary network provider is TRBNA.
Television
Armenia has 48 private television stations alongside 2 public networks with major Russian channels widely available throughout the country.
In 2008, TRBNA upgraded the main circuit to a digital distribution system based on DVB-IP and MPEG2 standards. According to the Television Association Committee of Armenia, TV penetration rate is 80% according to 2011 data.
Internet
There are approximately 1,400,000 Internet users and approximately 65,279 Internet hosts in Armenia.
The country code (Top level domain) for Armenia is
.am
.am is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Armenia.
Regulation
The registry for .am is operated by ISOC-AM, the local chapter of the Internet Society.
Regulatory notes:
* Any person in the world can register a .am, .com. ...
, which has been used for AM radio stations and for domain hacks.
The national communications company
Armentel's only fiber optic connection to the Internet enters Armenia through Georgia (via
Marneuli
Marneuli ( ka, მარნეული , az, Sarvan) is a town in the Kvemo Kartli region of southern Georgia and administrative center of Marneuli Municipality that borders neighboring Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Toponymy
According to Georgian so ...
) and then connects to the rest of the Internet via an undersea fiber-optic cable in the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...
.
[''Armenia Suffers Widespread Internet Outage''](_blank)
EurasiaNet, August 7, 2006. Armenia is connected to the Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic cable system via Georgia, which runs along the railroad from
Poti
Poti ( ka, ფოთი ; Mingrelian: ფუთი; Laz: ჶაში/Faşi or ფაში/Paşi) is a port city in Georgia, located on the eastern Black Sea coast in the region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti in the west of the country. Built near t ...
to
Tbilisi
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...
to the Armenian border near Marneuli. At Poti, the TAE cable connects to the undersea Georgia-Russia system
KAFOS which then connects to the
Black Sea Fiber Optic Cable System. The BSFOCS is co-owned by Armentel.
GNC-Alfa is the largest independent internet and data provider in Armenia with 1,500 km fibre-optic cable infrastructure, and covering 70% of Armenia.
Dial-up
Dial-up
Dial-up Internet access is a form of Internet access that uses the facilities of the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to establish a connection to an Internet service provider (ISP) by dialing a telephone number on a conventional telepho ...
was a main type of connectivity until 2008 when Telecom Armenia CJSC (
Beeline TM) started operation of
ADSL
Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) is a type of digital subscriber line (DSL) technology, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional voiceband modem can provide. ...
network and together with Vivacell MTS and
Orange Armenia
Orange Armenia ( hy, Օրանժ Արմենիա) was the Armenian branch of telecommunications company Orange S.A.
Orange S.A. (), formerly France Télécom S.A. (stylized as france telecom) is a French multinational telecommunications corpo ...
also introduced portable USB-modems, which are operated mainly in 3G networks and are still very popular in rural areas especially in small mountainous villages where landline connectivity is not available.
Broadband
According to official statistics from the International Telecommunication Union, the number of
broadband
In telecommunications, broadband is wide bandwidth data transmission which transports multiple signals at a wide range of frequencies and Internet traffic types, that enables messages to be sent simultaneously, used in fast internet connections. ...
subscribers in Armenia in 2017 was 315,319 users or 10.76 users per 100 persons.
ADSL
A major part of DSL connectivity is offered by Telecom Armenia CJSC (Beeline TM). Some other ISP (
Arminco, WEB, Bionet and others) also offer DSL connectivities mainly using leased infrastructure of Telecom Armenia CJSC.
WiMAX
Rapid development of
WiMAX
Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) is a family of wireless broadband communication standards based on the IEEE 802.16 set of standards, which provide physical layer (PHY) and media access control (MAC) options.
The WiMAX ...
was recorded in 2008–2010. Two WiMAX providers, namely Icon Communications and Cornet Ltd. operating in the 3.6–3.8 GHz band using IEEE 802.16e reached 2000 users each, but shortly disappeared from the market due to strong competition with ADSL and FTTB operators. Cornet was closed and Icon Communications was acquired by Telecom Armenia CJSC (Beeline).
FTTB
Fibre to the building broadband connectivity is offered by at least four major operators, namely MTS Armenia (operated by Viva-MTS TM), Ucom, Telecom Armenia CJSC (operated under Beeline TM) and GNC-Alfa (operated under
Rostelecom TM). All three companies offer triple play services including Internet, IPTV and telephone services.
Internet censorship
Listed as engaged in substantial filtering in the political area and selective filtering in the social, conflict/security, and internet tools areas by the
OpenNet Initiative
The OpenNet Initiative (ONI) was a joint project whose goal was to monitor and report on internet filtering and surveillance practices by nations. The project employed a number of technical means, as well as an international network of investigato ...
(ONI) in November 2010.
["ONI Country Profile: Armenia"]
OpenNet Initiative, 17 November 2010
Access to the internet in Armenia is largely unfettered, although evidence of second and third-generation filtering is mounting. Armenia's political climate is volatile and largely unpredictable. In times of political unrest, the government has not hesitated to put in place restrictions on the internet as a means to curtail public protest and discontent.
According to Article 11 of the Law of the Republic of Armenia on Police, law enforcement has the right to block content to prevent criminal activity.
Armenia's internet access is delivered by Russian providers, occasionally resulting in censorship by Russian ISPs. In 2012 Russian authorities blocked kavkazcenter.com, resulting in it being blocked in Armenia. In 2014 five other websites were blocked due to filtering by the Russian telecommunications regulator
Roskomnadzor
The Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, abbreviated as ''Roskomnadzor'' (RKN) (russian: Роскомнадзор КН, is the Russian federal executive agency responsible for monitoring, co ...
. ISPs claimed the blocks were due to technical error and were removed.
["Freedom on the Net 2014: Armenia"]
Freedom House. Retrieved on 14 December 2014.
2011 Armenian internet outage
The 2011 Armenian internet outage occurred in April 2011 when an elderly woman from
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
accidentally cut through an underground cable giving internet access to Armenia.
International cooperation
Armenia is a member of the
European Telecommunications Satellite Organization
The European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (EUTELSAT IGO) is an intergovernmental organisation consisting of 49 member states. It is headquartered in Paris, France. The mission of EUTELSAT IGO is to maintain the rights to use radio f ...
, the
International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
The International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO) is an intergovernmental organization charged with overseeing the public service obligations of Intelsat, which was privatized in 2001.
It incorporates the principle set forth i ...
, the
International Telecommunication Union
The International Telecommunication Union is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters related to information and communication technologies. It was established on 17 May 1865 as the International Telegraph Unio ...
, and the
International Amateur Radio Union
The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) is an international confederation of national organisations that allows a forum for common matters of concern to amateur radio operators worldwide, and collectively represents matters to the Internatio ...
.
Armenia has also ratified the
Convention on Cybercrime
The Convention on Cybercrime, also known as the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime or the Budapest Convention, is the first international treaty seeking to address Internet and computer crime (cybercrime) by harmonizing national laws, improving ...
and the
.
See also
*
ArmCosmos
ArmCosmos, commonly known as the Armenian Space Agency ( hy, Հայկական տիեզերական գործակալություն), is an Armenian private agency responsible for the development of Armenia's commercial space industry, coordinating ...
*
Media of Armenia
The mass media in Armenia refers to mass media outlets based in Armenia. Television, magazines, and newspapers are all operated by both state-owned and for-profit corporations which depend on advertising, subscription, and other sales-related reve ...
*
Ministry of Transport and Communication (Armenia) The Ministry of Transport and Communication of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի Տրանսպորտի և Կապի Նախարարություն ) is a government ministry in Armenia. The head office is located in Yerevan.
Leadership
Between 2018 and ...
References
External links
*
:ru:Список интернет-провайдеров Армении List of Internet providers in Armenia, Russian
* Krikorian, Onnik: "Internet in Armenia: Slow, Expensive, but Increasingly Important" in th
Caucasus Analytical Digest No. 15* Porsughyan, Arpine: "Traditional Failings versus Non-Traditional Prospects of the Armenian Media" in th
Caucasus Analytical Digest No. 25
{{DEFAULTSORT:Telecommunications In Armenia
Internet in Armenia