| Telecommunications Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
 Landlines (2006): | 3,000[1] |
 Mobile lines (2007): | 103,000[1] |
| ccTLD: | .tl |
| Calling code: | +670 |
FollowingIndonesia's withdrawal fromEast Timor in 1999, the telecommunications infrastructure was destroyed in the ensuing violence, andTelkom Indonesia ceased to provide services. A newcountry code (670) was allocated to East Timor by theInternational Telecommunication Union, but international access often remained severely limited.
The calling code 670 was previously used by theNorthern Marianas (the Northern Marianas, as part of theNorth American Numbering Plan, now uses thecountry code 1 and thearea code670).
Telephone calls are also often extremely expensive: for example,Telstra inAustralia raised the cost of calls to East Timor to A$3.00 a minute from 97 cents in 2003. In theUK,BT's standard rate is over £2 a minute.[2]
Telstra expanded its cellular telephone signal into East Timor in 2000 and operated services until 2003, whenTimor Telecom (TT), 50.1% part-owned byPortugal Telecom, began operating fixed-line and mobile telephone services. Until recently, the fixed-line network was mainly confined to the capitalDili, although this has been expanded nationwide, to each district capital.[citation needed]
According to a press release issued byPortugal Telecom in June 2008, the total number of fixed phones (landline) was 3,000 andmobile cellular was 103,000. At that time, there was nobroadband orADSL service.
In 2019, the World Bank reported that the total number of mobile cellular subscriptions is 1,425,256,[3] or 110.2% of the population of Timor Leste,[4] and the total number of fixed telephone subscriptions is 2,075,[5] or 0.16% of the population.[6]
In 2002, Timor Telecom signed a 15-year contract to invest US$29 million to rebuild and operate the phone system. The contract could be extended by 10 more years, totaling 25 years ofmonopoly. 2003 gross revenue totaled €10.5 million. In 2012 the government and TT agreed to end the contract, thus allowing the telecommunications market to be liberalised.
All voice and data are carried out byIntelsat, using a directsatellite link with onehop to theirdownlink inPortugal.
The telephone system suffered significant damage during the violence in theEast Timorese independence. As a result, there is very little fixed-line service, and mobile-cellular service and coverage are limited primarily to urban areas.[7]
Timor Telecom offers mobile GSM services covering approximately 92% of the population,[8] 100% of the districts, and 57% of the sub-districts.[9][10]
International service is available in major urban centers, but not much elsewhere.[7]
On January 17, 2013, the Prime Minister of Timor Leste, Mr.Xanana Gusmão, launchedTelkomcel as the second telecommunication operator in Timor Leste with three main services:
Telkomcel is 100% owned by PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia International (TELIN).[11]
There are at least 21 radio stations in East Timor.[7] The main station isRadio Timor Leste, broadcasting inTetum,Portuguese andIndonesian. Other radio stations include Radio Kmanek, and Radio Falintil, and Radio Renascença, while there are also FM retransmissions of RDP Internacional from Portugal,Radio Australia, and theBBC World Service. Community radio stations broadcast around the country, in regional languages such asTokodede andFataluku.
East Timor has one national public broadcaster,[7]Televisão Timor Leste orTelevizaun Timor Lorosae, which broadcasts local programming in Tetum and Portuguese, as well as retransmissions ofRTP Internacional fromPortugal.
In May 2007, RTTL's television and radio services became available viasatellite, using a transponder leased fromTelkom Indonesia.[12][13]
In February 2009, TVTL began carrying programmes fromRede Globo inBrazil.[14]
The first Internet connection in East Timor was made by the United NationsAPDIP Programme in 1999 to supportUNTAET, the UN Transitional Administration. This consisted of a C Band link toSingapore Telecom. The initial bandwidth was 256 kbit/s.[15]
The Internet country code for East Timor is.tl. This code was officially changed from.tp (for Portuguese Timor) when the country achieved its independence on 20 May 2002.
There are three mobile operators in Timor-Leste providing the bulk of Internet connectivity to the population using 3G, HSDPA, and 4G LTE:
While ADSL and dedicated line infrastructure is offered by some of the operators, it is prohibitively expensive to install and is in most cases more expensive per GB than cellular options.[19][20] Most individuals, organisations, and businesses thus rely on the cellular network for their Internet needs using smartphones, 4G modems and 4G routers.[21]
A fourth operator, Ceslink[22] has applied to the government for a license to become a telecom operator,[23] but as of September 2019 offers no services to the public.
All operators rely on satellite communication for their uplink to the wider internet, which results in slow response times and drives up data prices. A project to physically connect Timor-Leste to Indonesia using a submarine fiber optic cable has been greenlit by the Government in 2018,[24] but as of 2019, no progress appears to have been made.
Alternatively, in January 2022 it was announced Timor Leste Telecommunications providerSACOMTEL had signed an agreement with global subsea cable systems providerInligo Networks to become the landing partner for a new cable system between the US and Singapore called theAsia Connect Cable or ACC-1.[25] The news was further confirmed by Inligo Networks some days later.[26] The system is expected to connect the country in 2024.
According to theInternational Telecommunication Union, 13.4% of the population was connected to the internet[27] with the vast majority of users using cellular internet.[28] However, according to theWorld Bank, in 2015, 23% of the population is connected to the Internet.[29] As of 2017, 27.493% of the population is connected to the Internet.[29] According to Timor Telecom about 94% of the population is able to access cellular phone and internet services.[30]
Timor Telecom has sought to block somevoice over IP services on its network such asSkype,[31] however in 2019 there is no evidence to suggest that any operators are blocking specific services or protocols.
The concept ofnet neutrality does not seem to apply to Timor-Leste's and operators. Telemor and Telkomcel offer heavily discountedsocial media packages, with a focus on services owned byFacebook.[32][33] Telkomcel also offers their customers limited free access to services under theInternet.org umbrella.[34]
There are no government restrictions on access to the Internet or credible reports that the government monitors e-mail or Internet chat rooms. The law prohibits arbitrary interference with privacy, family, home, or correspondence and the government generally respects these prohibitions in practice.[35]
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromThe World Factbook (2025 ed.).CIA. (Archived 2009 edition.) This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theUnited States Department of State.
