Marcin Frąckiewicz, Author at TechStock²

Internet Access in Yemen: Overview and Key Aspects

Yemen’s bandwidth is dominated by a single aging subsea cable, the FALCON/FLAG system, landing at the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, with only a narrow backup via Djibouti and some satellite links. During the civil war, land fiber links to Saudi Arabia were destroyed, leaving Yemen largely dependent on undersea cables. AdenNet was launched in mid-2018 by the internationally recognized government in Aden to provide fiber to institutions and 4G LTE to consumers, independently of Sana’a’s infrastructure and with tens of thousands of subscribers. There are four mobile operators—YOU (Yemeni Omani United, formerly MTN Yemen), Sabafon, Yemen Mobile, and Y

24 February 2025

Internet Access in Iraq

The Ministry of Communications (MoC) controls the national fiber backbone and international gateways and leases bandwidth to private ISPs at wholesale prices around $50 per 1 Mbps. As of 2021, Iraq had about 2.1 million fixed-line/FTTH subscribers, with most of the deployment concentrated in Baghdad. Iraq has over 40 million mobile subscriptions, with 4G LTE launched in January 2021 across Zain Iraq, Asiacell, and Korek, reaching approximately 98% of the population by 2023. By early 2024, about 36.2 million Iraqis were internet users, representing 78–79% of the population. The Iraqi National Backbone project, led by Earthlink and Nokia, will span

24 February 2025

Access · Connectivity · Internet · Iraq · NASDAQ:ELNK · NYSE:NOK · NYSE:VOD · Technology

Internet Access in Afghanistan: A Comprehensive Overview

Mobile subscriptions grew from zero in 2001 to nearly 100% penetration by 2021. A nationwide fiber-optic backbone was being rolled out, including a 400 km cross-border fiber link to China via the Wakhan Corridor that was near completion in 2021. The Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 stalled or halted many fiber and broader connectivity projects. The five dominant providers are Afghan Telecom (Aftel/Salam), AWCC, Roshan, Etisalat Afghanistan, and MTN Afghanistan, with MTN planning to exit the Afghan market. An Internet Exchange Point (IXP) was established in Kabul to route local traffic domestically. Since August 2021, Taliban authorities blocked

24 February 2025

Afghanistan · Connectivity · Internet · NYSE:MTN · Overview · Technology

Internet Access in Ukraine: Overview

Over 4,200 ISPs were registered in August 2024, with Kyivstar leading the market at about 19%, Vodafone Ukraine around 9%, and Lifecell around 5%. Ukraine has 52 active data centers and 24 IXPs, and about 63% of popular content is cached within the country. Starlink became a pivotal connectivity lifeline during the war, with SpaceX granted an official operator license as provider #1 in April 2022 and roughly 42,000 terminals in use by 2023. There were about 55.6 million active cellular connections in 2024, equal to 149% of the population. As of early 2024, median fixed broadband speed was about

24 February 2025

Connectivity · Digital Access · Internet · NASDAQ:VEON · NASDAQ:VOD · Technology · Ukraine

Internet Access in Mozambique

Mozambique’s internet infrastructure is heavily mobile-dominated, with three main operators—Vodacom Mozambique (about 50% market share), Movitel, and Tmcel—while fixed-line broadband remains minimal. Tmcel has accumulated over $400 million in debt and is undergoing restructuring to avoid bankruptcy. Mozambique is connected to SEACOM and EASSy submarine cables, landed in 2009–2010, and the 2Africa subsea cable landed in Maputo and Nacala in 2023. MozIX Internet Exchange Point keeps local traffic within Mozambique. <li Vodacom launched Mozambique’s first limited 5G service in Maputo in 2023, with plans to extend coverage to about 75% of the population by 2025. 3G/4G networks cover most urban

23 February 2025

Communication · Connectivity · Internet · Mozambique · Technology

Internet Access in Libya: A Comprehensive Overview

Libya’s core internet framework is state-dominated under the Libyan Post, Telecommunication and Information Technology Company (LPTIC), with LTT as the leading fixed broadband and data services ISP, Libyana and Al-Madar Al-Jadeed as two state mobile operators, and about 25 private ISPs plus 23 VSAT operators licensed since 2011. Libyana launched 4G LTE in January 2018 and had 49 towns covered by April 2022, while Al-Madar Al-Jadeed launched 4G in October 2018 and claimed over 80% population coverage by 2022, with 4G availability reaching 76.8% of locations by early 2023. There were 12.4 million active mobile connections by June 2023, equivalent

16 February 2025

Access · Internet · Libya · Overview · Technology

Internet Access in China

By the end of 2023, about 1.09 billion Chinese residents were online (roughly 77.5% of the population), with over 99% of users accessing the net via mobile phones. China’s three major Internet Service Providers are China Telecom (state-owned, dominant in southern China), China Unicom (state-owned, dominant in northern regions), and China Mobile (the largest mobile operator, dominant in central and eastern China), effectively regional monopolies that control the backbone and last-mile connectivity. China has rapidly rolled out fiber broadband and 5G, installing millions of 5G base stations to boost speed and capacity, with median mobile download speeds around 117 Mbps

10 February 2025

Access · China · Internet · NASDAQ:BIDU · NASDAQ:BILI · NASDAQ:WB · NYSE:BABA · NYSE:CHA · NYSE:CHL · Society · Technology

Internet Access in Syria

History of Internet Development in Syria Syria was relatively late in opening internet access to the public. An internet connection was established in the country by 1997, but for years Syria was the only connected Middle Eastern country that did not allow general public access hrw.org. In the late 1990s, only government institutions and a few individuals (often via proxy connections through Lebanon) could get online hrw.org. This cautious rollout reflected official policy: the regime under President Hafez al-Assad took a “go-slow” approach, fearing the free flow of information. All media in Syria were tightly controlled, and officials were wary that the

7 February 2025

Access · Internet · Middle East · Syria · Technology