Editing Telecommunications in Iraq

{{Short description|None}}

'''Telecommunications in Iraq''' include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet as well as the postal system.

==Radio and television==
{{main|Media in Iraq}}

The number of private radio and TV stations has increased rapidly since 2003.<ref name=CIAWFB-Iraq-2014/> Iraqis get much of their news from TV. Radio listening has declined in tandem with the rise of TV. For private media, advertising revenues seldom produce a reliable income.<ref name=BBCNews-IraqProfile-2013>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14546541 "Iraq Profile: Media"], ''BBC News'', 22 August 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2014.</ref>

* [[Radio broadcasting|Radio stations]]:
** government-owned radio stations are operated by the publicly funded Iraqi Public Broadcasting Service; private broadcast media are mostly linked to political, ethnic, or religious groups; transmissions of multiple international radio broadcasters are available (2007);<ref name=CIAWFB-Iraq-2014>[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/iraq/ "Communications: Iraq"], ''World Factbook'', U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, 28 January 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2014.</ref> 
** ~80 stations (2004). 
* [[Television broadcasting|Television stations]]:
** government-owned TV stations are operated by the publicly funded Iraqi Public Broadcasting Service; private broadcast media are mostly linked to political, ethnic, or religious groups; satellite TV is available to an estimated 70% of viewers and many of the broadcasters are based abroad (2007);<ref name=CIAWFB-Iraq-2014/> 
** ~21 stations (2004). 
* [[Receiver (radio)|Radios]]: ~4.6 million (1997).{{update after|2014|2|17}} 
* [[Television set]]s: ~1.8 million television sets (1997).  It has been reported that 88% of households in Iraq have television (2004).<ref>{{Cite journal|title=7.5. Total television households and digital households, 2001-2003|doi = 10.1787/435882050446}}</ref>

During the reign of [[Saddam Hussein]], broadcasting was largely the domain of the [[Iraqi TV|Iraqi Broadcasting and Television Establishment]] (IBTE). The IBTE, in turn, was dominated by the Ministry of Information. The IBTE often broadcast programming favorable toward Saddam Hussein, including music videos praising him and poetry readings when the station was down. Most IBTE transmitters were in the Baghdad area with a few regional stations. The IBTE aired former [[CBS]] reporter [[Dan Rather]]'s interview with Saddam Hussein, as well as the news from [[Baghdad Bob]] during the run up to the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]].  After the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, the IBTE was dissolved.<ref>[http://www.wrth.com/ World Radio Television Handbook] (WRTH), 1990, 2003, and 2005.</ref><ref>[[Encarta|MSN Encarta Online Encyclopedia]], out-of-print.</ref><ref>[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saddam/etc/video.html "Saddam Music Videos"], video clips from the ''Frontline'' PBS documentary the [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saddam/ "Survival of Saddam"], 25 January 2000.</ref>

The current regulator is the [[Communications and Media Commission (Iraq)|Iraqi Communications and Media Commission]],<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20150801130309/http://www.iraqicmc.org/ Iraqi Communications and Media Commission]}}</ref>  and the public broadcaster is the [[Iraqi Media Network]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://iraqimedianet.net/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150801161258/http://www.iraqimedianet.net/|url-status=dead|title=My Blog – My WordPress Blog|archivedate=August 1, 2015}}</ref> successor to the [[Coalition Provisional Authority]]'s and several other radio and television stations. The Iraqi Media Network currently operates the Radio of the Republic of Iraq and the government supported [[al-Iraqiya]] TV station. Many private TV stations are also available, such as the popular [[Al Sharqiya]]. Up to 97% of homes have a satellite dish and there are more than 30 Iraq-facing satellite networks. Iraqi radio stations showcase the diversity of popular opinion, from hard-line Islamic fundamentalism to [[Radio Sawa]], politically oriented stations, and stations featuring content appealing to Kurdish listeners. In the northern autonomous Kurdish enclaves, rival political factions operate their own media.<ref name=BBCNews-IraqProfile-2013/>

The [[BBC World Service]] broadcasts in Iraq, as does the [[American Forces Network]] (AFN) and [[British Forces Broadcasting Service]] (BFBS). Other foreign radio stations operating within Iraq include the UAE's [[Middle East Broadcasting Centre]] (MBC), Paris-based [[Monte Carlo Doualiya]], Moyen-Orient, and [[Radio France International]] (RFI).<ref name=BBCNews-IraqProfile-2013/>

==Telephones==
{{See also |Telephone numbers in Iraq}}

* [[Calling code]]: +964<ref name=CIAWFB-Iraq-2014/>
* [[List of international call prefixes|International call prefix]]: 00<ref>[http://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-t/opb/sp/T-SP-E.164C-2011-PDF-E.pdf ''Dialing Procedures (International Prefix, National (Trunk) Prefix and National (Significant) Number) (in Accordance with ITY-T Recommendation E.164 (11/2010))''], Annex to ITU Operational Bulletin No. 994-15.XII.2011, International Telecommunication Union (ITU, Geneva), 15 December 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2014.</ref>
* Main lines:
** 1.9 million main lines in use, 62nd in the world (2012);<ref name=CIAWFB-Iraq-2014/> 
** 833,000 lines in use (2005).
* Mobile cellular:
** 38.22 million (2019)<ref name="auto">{{Cite journal|last=DataReportal|date=3 February 2019|title=Digital 2019 Iraq (January 2019) v01|url=https://www.slideshare.net/DataReportal/digital-2019-iraq-january-2019-v01}}</ref>
**26.8 million lines, 40th in the world (2012);<ref name="CIAWFB-Iraq-2014" />
**&nbsp;9.0 million lines (2005).
* Telephone system: [[Iraq War of 2003]] severely disrupted telecommunications throughout Iraq including international connections; repairs to switches and lines destroyed during 2003 continue; widespread government efforts to rebuild domestic and international communications through fiber optic links are in progress; the mobile cellular market has expanded rapidly to some 27 million subscribers at the end of 2012; since 2007 three [[GSM]] operators since have expanded beyond their regional roots and offer near country-wide access to [[2G|second-generation services]]; [[3G|third-generation]] mobile services are not available nationwide; [[wireless local loop]] is available in some metropolitan areas and additional licenses have been issued with the hope of overcoming the lack of fixed-line infrastructure; local [[microwave radio relay]] connects border regions to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey; international terrestrial fiber-optic connections have been established with Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kuwait, Jordan, and Iran (2011).<ref name=CIAWFB-Iraq-2014/>
* [[List of international submarine communications cables|Communications cables]]: links to the [[Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe]] (FLAG) / [[FALCON (cable system)|FALCON]],  and the [[Gulf Bridge International]] (GBI),<ref name=CIAWFB-Iraq-2014/> and TGN-Gulf<ref>[http://www.cablemap.info/ "Greg's Cable Map"], Greg Mahlknecht, 19 December 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2014.</ref> international submarine fiber-optic cables have been established (2011).
* [[Communications satellite|Satellite earth stations]]: 2 [[Intelsat]] ([[Atlantic Ocean]]) and 1 [[Indian Ocean]], 1 [[Intersputnik]] ([[Atlantic Ocean]] region), and 1 [[Arabsat]] (inoperative) (2011).<ref name=CIAWFB-Iraq-2014/>

The [[Iraq War of 2003|2003 Iraq War]] severely disrupted telecommunications throughout Iraq, including international connections. The [[Iraq Reconstruction Management Office]] (IRMO) under the [[U.S. State Department]] assisted the [[Ministry of Communications (Iraq)|Iraqi Ministry of Communications]] by advising on the repair of switching capability and helping to devise the regulatory framework and licensing regimes for construction of mobile and satellite communications facilities. Many people and companies were involved in the reconstruction including private and public telecommunications companies from the [[United States]], [[China]], [[Turkey]], and the [[Middle East]]. Special recognition must be given to the government of [[Japan]] and the [[World Bank Group]] for funding the first national microwave networks. Most credit goes to the staff of the Ministry of Communications and their operating personnel, and the numerous large and small service providers, who persevere under difficult working conditions. [[USAID]] funded several IT training programs with excellent international specialists as trainers and teachers.{{citation needed |date=February 2014}}

Today the system has undergone a remarkable transformation with high rates of annual investment and a functioning regulatory system, that is not quite independent of the political process, but still provides the framework for a competitive telecommunications regime. In 2013-2014 the system is under stress from renewed fighting between different political factions in Iraq.

==Internet==

* [[Top-level domain]]: [[.iq]]<ref name=CIAWFB-Iraq-2014/>
* [[List of countries by number of Internet users|Internet users]]: 
** 43 million users (2024)<ref name="auto"/>
**2.2 million users, 87th in the world; 7.1% of the population, 179th in the world (2012).<ref name="NIUCalc">Calculated using penetration rate and population data from [https://www.census.gov/population/international/data/idb/rank.php "Countries and Areas Ranked by Population: 2012"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329060848/https://www.census.gov/population/international/data/idb/rank.php |date=29 March 2017 }}, Population data, International Programs,  U.S. Census Bureau, retrieved 26 June 2013</ref><ref name="ITU-IndividualsUsingTheInternet">[http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/statistics/2013/Individuals_Internet_2000-2012.xls "Percentage of Individuals using the Internet 2000-2012"], International Telecommunication Union (Geneva), June 2013, retrieved 22 June 2013</ref>
** 325,900 users, 126th in the world (2009).<ref name=CIAWFB-Iraq-2014/>
* [[List of countries by number of broadband Internet subscriptions|Fixed broadband]]: Unknown (2012).<ref name=NIUCalc/><ref name="FixedBroadbandITUDynamic2012">[http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ICTEYE/Reporting/DynamicReportWizard.aspx "Fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 2012"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190726064920/http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ICTEYE/Reporting/DynamicReportWizard.aspx |date=2019-07-26 }}, Dynamic Report, ITU ITC EYE, [[International Telecommunication Union]]. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.</ref>
* [[List of countries by number of broadband Internet subscriptions|Wireless broadband]]: Unknown (2012).<ref name="MobleBroadbandITUDynamic2012">[http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ICTEYE/Reporting/DynamicReportWizard.aspx "Active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 2012"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190726064920/http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ICTEYE/Reporting/DynamicReportWizard.aspx |date=2019-07-26 }}, Dynamic Report, ITU ITC EYE, [[International Telecommunication Union]]. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.</ref>
* [[List of countries by number of Internet hosts|Internet hosts]]: 26 hosts, 218th in the world (2012).<ref name=CIAWFB-Iraq-2014/>
* [[List of countries by IPv4 address allocation|IPv4]]: 243,712 addresses allocated, 108th in the world, less than 0.05% of the world total, 7.8 addresses per 1000 people (2012).<ref>[http://www.countryipblocks.net/country-blocks/select-formats/ Select Formats] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090513033601/http://www.countryipblocks.net/country-blocks/select-formats/ |date=13 May 2009 }}, Country IP Blocks. Accessed on 2 April 2012. Note: Site is said to be updated daily.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070613003851/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2119.html Population], [[The World Factbook]], [[United States]] [[Central Intelligence Agency]]. Accessed on 2 April 2012. Note: Data are mostly for 1 July 2012.</ref>

Under the government of [[Saddam Hussein]], [[Internet access]] was tightly controlled and very few people were thought to be online; in 2002 it was estimated that only 25,000 Iraqis used the Internet.  With his ouster, Internet usage has become commonplace. [[Uruklink]], originally the sole Iraqi [[Internet service provider]], now faces competition from other ISPs, including broadband [[satellite Internet access]] services from both Middle East and European [[VSAT]] hubs. The primary military telecom service provider in Iraq is
[[Ts 2]].<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS152237+22-Jan-2009+PRN20090122 "Satellite Broadband Internet in Iraq and Afghanistan for U.S. Troops"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100724131952/http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS152237+22-Jan-2009+PRN20090122 |date=24 July 2010 }}, Press release, TS2 Satellite Technologies in PRNewswire, 22 January 2009.</ref> Since 2006 several more companies have emerged to provide options to individual Iraqis that make Internet access more affordable, albeit with less bandwidth. One such business is Advanced Technology Systems-Iraq (ATS-Iraq).<ref>[http://www.ats-iraq.com "Advanced Technology Systems - Iraq"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920115027/http://ats-iraq.com/ |date=2017-09-20 }}, website.</ref>
===Internet censorship and surveillance===

In August 2009 the [[OpenNet Initiative]] found no evidence of Internet filtering in Iraq in all four of the areas for which they test (political, social, conflict/security, and Internet tools).<ref name=ONI-Iraq-CountryProfile-2009>[http://opennet.net/research/profiles/iraq "ONI Country Profile: Iraq"], OpenNet Initiative, 10 August 2009</ref>

There are no overt government restrictions on access to the Internet or official acknowledgement that the government monitors [[e-mail]] or Internet [[chat rooms]] without judicial oversight. NGOs report that the government could and was widely believed to monitor e‑mail, chat rooms, and social media sites through local Internet service providers.<ref name=USDOS-CRHRP-Iraq-2012>[https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2012&dlid=204362 "Iraq"], ''Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012'', Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 22 April 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2014.</ref>

The constitution broadly provides for the right of [[free expression]], provided it does not violate public order and morality or express support for the banned [[Baath Party]] or for altering the country's borders by violent means. In practice the main limitation on individual and media exercise of these rights is [[self-censorship]] due to real fear of reprisals by the government, political parties, ethnic and sectarian forces, terrorist and extremist groups, or criminal gangs. [[Libel]] and [[defamation]] are offenses under the penal law and the 1968 Publications Law with penalties of up to seven years' imprisonment for publicly insulting the government.<ref name=USDOS-CRHRP-Iraq-2012/>

After the release and media amplification of the controversial "[[Innocence of Muslims]]" Internet video in September 2012, Christian groups reported an increase in death threats. One militant group called the Brigade of the Straight Path issued an ultimatum to Christians in [[Mosul]] to leave or be killed. The government provided additional security in Christian neighborhoods following the threat. There were no deaths or attacks related to the threat, and the government reduced security to normal levels by the end of 2012.<ref name=USDOS-CRHRP-Iraq-2012/>

The constitution mandates that authorities may not enter or search homes except with a judicial order. The constitution also prohibits arbitrary interference with privacy. In practice security forces often entered homes without search warrants and took other measures interfering with privacy, family, and correspondence.<ref name=USDOS-CRHRP-Iraq-2012/>

In 2011 when a documentary filmmaker and author of a prominent [[blog]] organized the video coverage of peaceful protests over the Internet via a short, nonsubscription messaging service, he was beaten on 22 April and again on 22 July, allegedly by individuals in civilian clothing linked to the security forces and by army officers as he attempted to videotape demonstrations in [[Liberation Square, Baghdad|Tahrir Square]] for his blog. He went into hiding, and a few days after the second attack police searched his house. He later resumed blogging.<ref name=USDOS-CRHRP-Iraq-2011>[https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2012&dlid=204362 "Iraq"], ''Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011'', Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 25 May 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2014.</ref>

==Postal system==
{{See also|List of postal codes in Iraq}}

As part of the post-invasion social and economic infrastructure reconstruction program, a contract worth $55 million was awarded to study the [[postal system]] in Iraq. The [[Postal codes in Iraq|Postal system of Iraq]] was organized following that study.{{citation needed |date=February 2014}}

==See also==

* [[Iraqi Telecommunications and Post Company]]
* [[Iraqi Post]]
* [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/iraq-telecom-business-facts-salaah-a-shahsavari Iraq Telecom Facts]

==References==

* {{CIA World Factbook |year=2014}}
* {{US DOS |years=2011, 2012}}
{{reflist |30em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.uruklink.net/ Uruklink], Iraq state company for Internet Services.
* [http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blciraq.htm Geography and map of Iraq] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211092242/http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blciraq.htm |date=2008-12-11 }}, Geography About.com.
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/country_profiles/791014.stm Iraq profile], ''BBC News''.
* [http://www.livelinkisp.com/ LiveLink Internet Service Provider Communication],
* [http://www.scopesky.com/ ScopeSky Communication],

{{Clear}}
{{Iraq topics}}
{{Asia topic|Communications in}}
{{Telecommunications}}
{{Internet censorship by country}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Communications In Iraq}}
[[Category:Telecommunications in Iraq| ]]
[[Category:Internet in Iraq]]
[[Category:Internet censorship by country|Iraq]]