Today: 9 March 2026
Subscribe

Marcin Frąckiewicz

CEO of TS2 Space and founder of TS2.tech. Expert in satellites, telecommunications, and emerging technologies, covering trends in space, AI, and connectivity.

Saudi Arabia’s High-Speed Internet Revolution: Fiber Booms, 5G Soars, and Satellites Race to Connect the Kingdom

Saudi Arabia’s High-Speed Internet Revolution: Fiber Booms, 5G Soars, and Satellites Race to Connect the Kingdom

Saudi Telecom Company held 67% of Saudi Arabia’s telecom market revenue in Q3 2022 and about half of mobile subscribers. By 2022, internet penetration reached 98–99%, with 3.7 million households on high-speed fiber. Fiber broadband made up 64% of fixed subscriptions by end-2023. As of early 2024, Starlink is not available in Saudi Arabia due to regulatory issues.
11 March 2025
·
Internet Access in North Korea. How North Korea’s Secret Internet Works: Discover the Hidden World of Kwangmyong

Internet Access in North Korea. How North Korea’s Secret Internet Works: Discover the Hidden World of Kwangmyong

North Korea’s Kwangmyong intranet hosts up to 5,500 internal sites, isolated from the global Internet, which remains accessible only to a select elite. Mobile subscriptions reached about 6 million by 2020, while 4G LTE began limited rollout in 2023 using second-hand Huawei equipment. International Internet links run through China Unicom and Russia’s TransTeleCom. All online activity is tightly monitored and foreign sites are blocked.
11 March 2025
·
Internet Access in Japan: A Comprehensive Overview

Internet Access in Japan: A Comprehensive Overview

NTT Docomo leads Japan’s mobile market with about 42% of subscriptions, followed by KDDI at 30% and SoftBank at 25–26%. Over 80% of fixed broadband lines use fiber, with fiber reaching 99.9% of premises by late 2024. KDDI and SoftBank have shut down 3G networks; Docomo will end 3G by March 2026. Starlink launched in October 2022, offering satellite internet nationwide.
10 March 2025
·
Internet Access Services in Kenya

Internet Access Services in Kenya

Kenya had 22.7 million internet users in early 2024, with 40.8% penetration. Safaricom led fixed broadband at 36.4% market share, followed by Jamii Telecom Faiba at 24%, Wananchi (Zuku) at 17.5%, and Poa Internet at 13.2%. Starlink reached 16,746 subscribers by January 2025. Safaricom reported over 500,000 active 5G customers by mid-2024.
10 March 2025
···
Internet Access Services in Kazakhstan

Internet Access Services in Kazakhstan

Kazakhtelecom held about 60% of Kazakhstan’s telecom market revenue in 2023 and owns major stakes in Kcell and Tele2/Altel. Beeline (VEON) accounted for 28%. By late 2023, 5G was live in 15 cities with over 1,000 base stations. Starlink delivered 500 terminals to rural schools in 2024, with residential service expected at $100 per month.
10 March 2025
··
Internet Access in Nigeria: A Comprehensive Overview

Internet Access in Nigeria: A Comprehensive Overview

Nigeria’s internet relies on undersea cables landing in Lagos, with MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile controlling most subscriptions. Mobile broadband dominates, as fixed-line access remains rare. The Nigerian Communications Commission regulates the sector, setting price floors and overseeing licensing. The government introduced data protection rules in 2019 and sometimes imposes censorship.
3 March 2025
···
Internet Access in Sudan

Internet Access in Sudan

Sudan’s internet backbone runs through Port Sudan, connecting via EASSy and FLAG/FALCON submarine cables, with terrestrial fiber to Egypt and Ethiopia. Zain Sudan leads the mobile market with about 50% share, followed by MTN Sudan at 25%. Internet freedom is rated “Not Free,” and the country has faced repeated nationwide shutdowns, including a 37-day blackout in 2019 and outages during the 2023-2024 conflict.
25 February 2025
··
Internet Access in Yemen: Overview and Key Aspects

Internet Access in Yemen: Overview and Key Aspects

Yemen relies on the aging FALCON subsea cable for most internet traffic, with limited backup via Djibouti and satellite. As of January 2024, only 17.7% of the population had internet access, and 4G coverage reached 56.7%. Major outages hit in January 2020 and 2022, cutting off most of the country. Starlink launched officially in September 2024, boosting speeds in government-held areas.
24 February 2025
··
Internet Access in Iraq

Internet Access in Iraq

Iraq’s Ministry of Communications controls the national fiber backbone and leases bandwidth to private ISPs at about $50 per 1 Mbps. By early 2024, internet users reached 36.2 million, or nearly 79% of the population. Vodafone received a 5G license in November 2024. Authorities have imposed internet shutdowns during protests, including a 263-hour blackout in 2019.
24 February 2025
···
Internet Access in Afghanistan: A Comprehensive Overview

Internet Access in Afghanistan: A Comprehensive Overview

Mobile subscriptions in Afghanistan reached nearly 100% by 2021, but Taliban rule since August 2021 stalled fiber rollout and connectivity projects. Internet penetration fell from 22.9% in 2022 to 18.4% in 2024. Taliban authorities blocked 23.4 million websites, banned TikTok and PUBG, and increased censorship. MTN plans to exit the market; fixed broadband speeds remain among the world’s slowest.
24 February 2025
··
Internet Access in Ukraine: Overview

Internet Access in Ukraine: Overview

Over 4,200 ISPs operated in Ukraine as of August 2024, with Kyivstar holding 19% market share. Starlink received an operator license in April 2022 and had about 42,000 terminals by 2023. Median fixed broadband speed was 74–84 Mbps; mobile, 24–43 Mbps. Around 29.6 million Ukrainians used the internet in 2023, or 79% of the population.
24 February 2025
···
Internet Access in Mozambique

Internet Access in Mozambique

Tmcel is restructuring to avoid bankruptcy after accumulating over $400 million in debt. Vodacom Mozambique holds about half the mobile market and launched the country's first limited 5G service in Maputo in 2023. By early 2024, there were 18.91 million active mobile SIMs, covering roughly 55% of the population. Fixed-line broadband remains rare, and about one-third of Mozambicans lack mobile broadband coverage.
23 February 2025
··
Internet Access in Libya: A Comprehensive Overview

Internet Access in Libya: A Comprehensive Overview

Libya had 12.4 million active mobile connections by June 2023, about 179% of its population. State firms dominate the sector, with Libyana and Al-Madar Al-Jadeed covering most of the country’s 4G users. Fixed broadband remains limited at 326,000 subscriptions in 2022. Libya ranked 161st of 179 countries for mobile speed in 2023, with median downloads of 8–16 Mbps.
16 February 2025
··
Internet Access in China

Internet Access in China

China had 1.09 billion internet users by end-2023, with over 99% on mobile. State-owned ISPs—China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Mobile—control regional access and backbone networks. All international traffic passes through three government-run gateways, slowing foreign site access. The Great Firewall blocks major foreign platforms and censors content; VPN use is tightly restricted.
10 February 2025
···········
Internet Access in Syria

Internet Access in Syria

Syria opened public internet access around 2000, years after establishing its first connection in 1997. By 2010–2011, about 4.5 million Syrians were online, but the government kept strict control over infrastructure and content. As of 2021, internet penetration reached 46–47%, still well below the regional average.
7 February 2025
··
1 … 355 356 357
Go toTop