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Telecommunications in Antarctica is provided by the organizations that have established research stations on the continent.Antarctica is not formally designated by theInternational Telecommunication Union (ITU) in any of the world zones.
Communication infrastructure is provided through service providers in each country that administers each base.
Five locations (Casey Station (AU), Davis Station (AU), Macquarie Island Station (AU), Mawson Station (AU) and Scott Base (NZ)) all have telephone connections that enable direct dialling to and from the outside world. Connections to the Australian stations is via the country calling code +672.
Argentinian and Chilean bases within their claims, which have families living at them, are also connected by direct dial connections.
Connection toScott Base and the nearby United States baseMcMurdo Station is via theNew Zealandcountry calling code +64 (seeTelecommunications in New Zealand).
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): Argentine bases haveWiFi provided by Argentinean internet providerSpeedy (now called Movistar), a fiber cable[clarification needed] on polar plateau which was installed in 2009.[citation needed]
Country code (Top level domain):.aq
Internet users: 2,700 (2021)
Facebook users: 1,800 (2021)
Data access to theAmundsen–Scott South Pole Station is provided by access viaNASA'sTDRS-F1,GOES &Iridium satellite constellation.Marisat F-2 provided data communications until it was retired in 2008. For the 2007-2008 season, the TDRS relay (named South Pole TDRSS Relay orSPTR) was upgraded to support a data return rate of 50 Mbit/s, which comprises over 90% of theSouth Pole's data capability, which is used primarily for scientific data return.[2][3]
The Australian Stations each have a satellite data connection, currently contracted to Speedcast. This provides each station with a 9 Mbps symmetric connection.
Data and telephony access toScott Base -New Zealand is provided via C-Band bySpark NZ & Horizons 3E. As of April 2023[update],Starlink services were also being trialed at the base.[4]
Regarding Argentine bases in general,Marambio Base has wireless internet and two mobile phone servers.
Orbcomm satellites whichpass over Antarctica can relay short messages to and from transceiver units toemail or XML overHTTP.
TheMcMurdo station has permanent access to a shared 17 Mbps connection; testing of theStarlink service began in September 2022,[5] with a second terminal providing connectivity for theAllan Hills field camp brought in November 2022.[6][7] As of January 2025, Starlink was working for the cruise ship Scenic Eclipse II, as far South as McMurdo station.
Several bases used their transceivers also to provideamateur radio worldwide communications onHF oramateur radio satellites with specific club callsigns, also useful on utility and emergency communications.
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromThe World Factbook (2025 ed.).CIA. (Archived 2002 edition.)
