Telecommunications
in Bahrain
From
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Telecommunications in Bahrain
officially began in 1981 when the Bahraini government founded the Bahrain
Telecommunications Company. Since then, other companies such as Zain and VIVA
have entered the telecommunications sector.
History
When Batelco was first founded in
1981, Bahrain already had 45,627 telephone lines in use. By 1982, the number
reached 50,000. In 1985, the country's first fibre optic cable was installed.
Batelco enjoyed being a monopoly in the telecommunications sector for the next
two decades. By 1999, the company had around 100,000 mobile contracts.
In 2002, under pressure from
international bodies, Bahrain implemented its telecommunications law which
included the establishment of an independent Telecommunications Regulatory
Authority (TRA).[1] In 2003, Batelco's monopoly over the sector broke when the
TRA awarded a license to MTC Vodafone, which later re-branded itself as Zain.
In January 2010, VIVA (a subsidiary of STC) started operations in Bahrain.
Telephonic
services
Telephones
- main lines in use: 194,200 (2006)
county
comparison to the world: 124
Telephones
- mobile cellular: 1,116,000 (2007)
county comparison to the world: 132
Telephone
system:
•
general assessment: modern system
•
domestic: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with
rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones
•
international: country code - 973; landing point for the Fire-Optic Link
Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine
cable network that provides links to Asia, Middle East, Europe, and US; tropospheric scatter to
Qatar and UAE; microwave radio relay to
Saudi Arabia; satellite earth station - 1 (2007)
Broadcast
radio
Radio
broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)
Broadcast
television
Television
broadcast stations: 4 (1997)
Internet
service
Main
article: Internet in Bahrain
Internet
country code: .bh
Internet
hosts: 2,621 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 135
Internet
users: 250,000 (2007)
country comparison to the world: 124
Internet
in Bahrain
Bahrain has been connected to the
internet since 1995, and made it readily available to its citizens. The
country's domain suffix is '.bh'. A 2004 study showed a liberal filtering
system is used in Bahrain, one which can be easily bypassed, however more recent
events have shown more sophisticated and pervasive filtering.
In January 2009, Bahrain has started blocking a vastly
increased number of sites through the Information Affairs Authority (IAA). The
new filtering has had a noticeable impact in internet access speeds for all
traffic.
As of
2010, there were about 694,000 internet users in Bahrain, or 55% of the
population.
Internet
penetration and usage
The growth in fixed telephone lines
and the Internet has made Bahrain a regional information and communications
technology leader. The country's connectivity score (a statistic which measures
both Internet access and fixed and mobile telephone lines) is 210.4 percent per
person, while the regional average in the Gulf States is 135.37 percent. The
number of Bahraini Internet users has risen from 40,000 in 2000 to 250,000 in
2008, or from 5.95 to 33 percent of the population. The telecom market
witnessed a remarkable development in November 2008 when Mena Telecom launched
its nationwide WiMAX network, a service that provides high speed wireless voice
and data services.
To encourage creativity in domestic
online content, in 2005 Bahrain launched an e-content award organized by the
eGovernment Authority in Bahrain and the Bahrain Internet Society. The goal of
the award is to select quality online content and to promote creativity and
innovation in the development of new media applications in Bahrain.
Bahrain’s online community is small
but dynamic. As of January 2008, there were over 535 websites based in Bahrain,
focusing on 25 different themes (e.g., public forums); 59 websites for
governmental organizations; and about 200 blogs, the majority of which are
anonymous blogs. Internet users in Bahrain use the Internet to debate sensitive
issues and to exchange content that is not available in the traditional media.
The authorities have blocked a number of news, religion, human rights, and
humor Web sites run by Bahrainis and by non-Bahrainis, but users manage to
access them using proxies.
Bahrain’s telecom market is
regulated by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), which was
established by Legislative Decree No. 48 of 2002 to protect the interests of
subscribers and users and to promote effective and fair competition among
established and new licensed operators. As of 2008, the TRA has licensed 22
Internet Service Providers, the largest of which is Batelco.
Internet
Service Providers in Bahrain (ISP)
Batelco:
Regional telecommunications company specialising in a broad range of
communications services including mobile, national and international telephony,
business network services, Internet and satellite services etc.
Zain:
Regional telecommunications company specialising in a broad range of
communications services including mobile, national and international telephony,
business network services, Internet and satellite services.
Inet
Email: E-mail
service provided by Bahrain Telecommunications Company
VIVA: Providers of mobile phone services in Bahrain; part of
The Saudi Telecommunication Group; provides call, messaging, Internet, roaming,
Blackberry services etc.
Bahrain Internet Exchange (BIX):
Body established by government decree to connect Internet Service Providers, in
order to increase local traffic and content, as well as reduce the cost of
purchasing international bandwidth.
Etisalcom: Providers of fully integrated
ICT solutions for consumers & businesses; offers ETISL IP telephony, More
international calling cards, national & international connectivity,
Internet, hosting, comprehensive ICT solutions etc.
Mena Telecom: Telecommunications
company based in Manama; services: carrier pre-select, two-way satellite,
broadband applications, international prepaid calling cards, total
communication solutions etc.
North Star Communications: Providers
of Internet, telephony & VSAT services in Bahrain; offers pre-paid &
post-paid international call services, international calling cards, Internet
leased lines, ADSL services, web site development etc.
Nuetel Communications: Alternative
telecommunications provider that offers converged services including voice, Internet
& television over a single broadband connection; head office is in Amwaj
Islands; strategic partners include Cisco Systems & British Telecom.
Lightspeed Communications:
Lightspeed Communications is Bahrain's first alternative fixed-line telecommunications
operator, offering value-added and innovative services for residential and
business customers. Services offered includes voice & Internet ; head
office is in Almoayyed Tower in Seef; strategic partners include Jordan
Telecom.
Social
Media in Bahrain
Social media has played a negative role and fuelled the
unrest in Bahrain with "highly inflammatory" information, according
to a report by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI).
The Commission stated that it was "aware" of the
impact of the use of social media websites, such as Facebook and Twitter, has
had on some major social and political events in the contemporary world.
"The commission found numerous examples of exaggeration
and misinformation, some highly inflammatory, that were disseminated through
social media," the report stated.
Another issue raised in the findings was that mainstream
media in Bahrain ignored views of opposition groups.
"The lack of access to mainstream media creates
frustration within opposition groups and results in these groups resorting to
other media such as social media," stated the report.
This, it
said, could have a "destabilising effect" because social media outlets
were both untraceable and unaccountable, when such media was used to promulgate
hate speech and incitement to violence.
The
commission recommended the Bahrain government to relax censorship and allow the
opposition greater access to television and radio broadcasts as well as print
media.
Errors
The BICI team also met officials
from Information Affairs Authority (IAA), who provided a file concerning the
involvement of the international media in the events of February and March.
The IAA
alleged that there was incitement practised by some foreign media against
Bahrain.
It also
stated that the international media made factual errors when reporting on
events.
"Much
of this material contained derogatory language and inflammatory coverage of
events, and some may have been defamatory,"said the BICI.
"However,
the commission did not find any evidence of media coverage that constituted
hate speech or incitement to violence."
VSAT INTERNET FOR BAHRAIN
Bahrain is within our satellite KU band service coverage via SES-4, AM44 and ARABSAT. See footprints below
See above the Middle East Map and trace Bahrain to the satellite coverage
below. This means Bahrain people can avail of a two way data, voice,
video and internet communications to the rest of the globe via any of
these covering communication satellites.
What will be required are an ODU (Out Door Unit) composed of satellite
dish antenna (VSAT), penetrating or non penetrating mount which can be
aligned to the serving satellite by qualified engineer in no time; and
an IDU (In Door Unit) composed of satellite modem
or receiver/transmitter and a connection to the end user LAN (Local Area
Network).
Governorates of Bahrain:Capital Governorate,Central Governorate, Muharraq Governorate, Northern Governorate, Southern Governorate.
Please send us inquiry by filling up the form below if you wish one of
our sales team to contact and provide you more information.
