Internet Access in Phuket: A Tourist-Focused Overview

Internet Access in Phuket: A Tourist-Focused Overview

Phuket has widespread fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) with speeds up to 1 Gbps, and some cases 2 Gbps. AIS announced by mid-2024 that its 5G network reached 95% of Thailand’s population, including Phuket. 5G launched in 2020 and Phuket was among the first areas to receive it, along with Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Patong City launched free citywide Wi‑Fi using Cisco and CAT Telecom, via the SmartCityFreeWiFi network managed by Meraki. AIS tourist SIMs include an 8-day package for about 399 THB with 25 GB of high-speed data, plus 15- and 30-day options. 4G speeds in Phuket typically range 30–100 Mbps, while
Maldives’ Internet Revolution: From Remote Atolls to a 5G-Powered Paradise

Maldives’ Internet Revolution: From Remote Atolls to a 5G-Powered Paradise

Dhiraagu (Dhivehi Raajjeyge Gulhun) was established in 1988 as the Maldives’ first telecom operator and former state monopoly. By 2000, basic telephone service had reached all inhabited islands and dial-up internet was available nationwide. In 2003 Focus Infocom received a second ISP license, and in 2005 Wataniya (Ooredoo Maldives) entered mobile service, ending Dhiraagu’s 17‑year monopoly. The Maldives’ telecom market is a duopoly dominated by Dhiraagu and Ooredoo, with Dhiraagu posting about MVR 2.8 billion revenue in 2019 and Ooredoo about MVR 2.03 billion, and Dhiraagu is 52% owned by Batelco and roughly 42% by the Maldivian government. 2G service
Thailand’s High-Speed Internet Revolution: 5G, Fiber, and the Battle to Bridge the Digital Divide

Thailand’s High-Speed Internet Revolution: 5G, Fiber, and the Battle to Bridge the Digital Divide

Thailand connected to the international Internet in the late 1980s and moved to full TCP/IP by 1992. In 2004, unmetered flat-rate broadband plans were introduced, spurring rapid broadband growth from 2005 onward. The Net Pracharat Village Broadband Internet project extends high-speed internet to over 75,000 villages. Thailand’s fixed broadband ranking rose from 34th in 2018 to 11th fastest globally by January 2024. By 2022, about 21.3 million households in Thailand had fixed broadband, nearly doubling from 2016. In late 2023 AIS acquired fixed ISP 3BB and its fiber assets, becoming the largest fixed broadband provider with about 4.7 million subscribers
Wi-Fi on Everest, Firewalls in Lhasa: Inside Tibet’s Internet Revolution

Wi-Fi on Everest, Firewalls in Lhasa: Inside Tibet’s Internet Revolution

A China Mobile 5G base station was installed at Mount Everest base camp at 6,500 meters in 2020, making it the world’s highest 5G site. By 2019, more than 98% of Tibet’s villages had fiber‑optic broadband and 4G mobile coverage due to government investment. By 2018, government universal service projects connected over 5,000 villages with broadband across Tibet. End of 2019 Tibet had about 50,000 mobile base stations, rising to 60,500 by late 2022. By 2023, 5G network coverage extended to all towns in Tibet. By November 2022 Tibet had 1.28 million fixed broadband internet users, with 98% of those
12 April 2025
High-Speed Himalayas: Inside Nepal’s Race to Connect Every Peak and Village

High-Speed Himalayas: Inside Nepal’s Race to Connect Every Peak and Village

Nepal’s mobile market is led by Nepal Telecom with about 57% share, Ncell around 36%, and Smart Telecom about 6%. WorldLink Communications is the largest fixed broadband ISP with 972,781 subscribers as of 2024, roughly 30% of Nepal’s fixed broadband connections. FTTH subscribers surpassed 2.5 million in January 2023 and reached about 2.89 million by late 2024, with home plans typically 20 Mbps to 100–300 Mbps and premium options up to 600 Mbps or 1 Gbps. 4G coverage reached about 88% of the population by 2023, with Nepal Telecom reporting 11.5 million 4G users and total mobile broadband subscriptions around
Bridging 17,000 Islands: Inside Indonesia’s Internet Revolution

Bridging 17,000 Islands: Inside Indonesia’s Internet Revolution

Telkomsel dominates Indonesia’s mobile market with about 45% of subscribers (roughly 153 million) in 2024, and IndiHome now accounts for roughly 75% of fixed broadband after the integration. IndiHome fiber-to-the-home footprint has passed 38 million homes, with at least around 10 million connected by mid-2024. The Palapa Ring backbone spans over 13,000 km of fiber, linking western, central, and eastern Indonesia to provide high-capacity backhaul beyond Java. Internationally, Indonesia is tied to multiple undersea cables, including new trans-Pacific links Project Echo and Bifrost (Meta) that will boost trans-Pacific capacity by about 70%, along with the Apricot cable planned to deliver
From Yurts to YouTube: Inside Mongolia’s Internet Revolution

From Yurts to YouTube: Inside Mongolia’s Internet Revolution

Univision LLC leads Mongolia’s internet market with about 62% market share and is part of the Unitel group, offering fiber-optic broadband and IPTV. MobiCom Corporation (including Mobinet) is the second-largest ISP with roughly 15% market share, and operates both mobile networks and internet services. Skymedia Corporation holds around 10% of the ISP market and Mobinet LLC about 3%, with smaller providers like ONDO filling the rest. In mobile, Mongolia is served by four operators—MobiCom, Unitel, Skytel, and G-Mobile—with 2014 data showing MobiCom at about 39.5% and Unitel at about 35.5% of mobile subscriptions. About 69% of Mongolia’s population lives in
Internet Access in Kiribati: Bridging the Digital Divide Across Remote Pacific Islands

Internet Access in Kiribati: Bridging the Digital Divide Across Remote Pacific Islands

Kiribati comprises 33 atolls spread across 3.5 million square kilometers of ocean. As of January 2024, there were about 73,300 internet users, representing 54.4% of the population. In early 2024, there were about 69,200 mobile cellular connections, equal to 51.4% of the population. All international and inter-island connectivity currently depends on satellite links, and Kiribati has no submarine fiber cable. Amalgamated Telecom Holdings Kiribati Ltd (ATHKL), trading as Vodafone Kiribati, is the main operator after acquiring Telecom Services Kiribati Ltd in 2015 and upgrading 3G/4G coverage in Tarawa and Kiritimati. Ocean Link launched in 2019 to introduce competition and extend
Internet Access in Somalia: Growth, Challenges, and the Future of Connectivity

Internet Access in Somalia: Growth, Challenges, and the Future of Connectivity

As of early 2024, Somalia had about 5.08 million internet users, a 27.6% penetration, up from around 2% in 2017, with more than 13 million people offline. Internet use is concentrated in urban centers such as Mogadishu and Hargeisa, while fixed broadband remains scarce, with only about 1% of Somalis having a high-speed fixed connection (>256 kbps). There were 10.10 million cellular mobile connections active in early 2024, about 54.8% of the population, and 4G LTE coverage reaches roughly 50–60%. By late 2024, at least three telecoms had launched initial 5G services in major urban centers, with Hormuud planning to
Internet Access in Niger: Broadband, Mobile, and Satellite Overview

Internet Access in Niger: Broadband, Mobile, and Satellite Overview

As of early 2025, about 6.37 million people in Niger were online, representing 23.2% of the population, up from 4.7 million (16.9% penetration) in January 2024. Fixed broadband is negligible outside Niamey; fiber/DSL is available only in the capital and a few major towns, with most users relying on mobile. There were about 16.5 million cellular mobile connections in early 2025, equal to 60.1% of the population, though many subscriptions are basic 2G without data. Mobile coverage spans roughly one-third of Niger’s land area, yet up to 87% of the population can receive at least a basic mobile signal where
Internet Access in Australia: A Comprehensive Overview

Internet Access in Australia: A Comprehensive Overview

As of mid-2023, around 12.3 million premises were ready to connect to the NBN, and by early 2025 about 8.62 million homes and businesses were actively connected to NBN-based plans. The NBN uses a multi-technology mix—FTTP, FTTN, FTTC, HFC, Fixed Wireless, and Satellite—and is legally required to offer at least 25 Mbps download speeds to all premises nationwide. NBN fixed-line speed tiers include 25 Mbps, 50 Mbps, and 100 Mbps, with higher options up to about 1 Gbps on capable FTTP and HFC connections, and in 2023 these services delivered 98.5% of advertised download speeds during peak hours. Reliability varies
Egypt’s Internet Revolution: Fiber Frenzy, 5G Dreams, and a Satellite Showdown

Egypt’s Internet Revolution: Fiber Frenzy, 5G Dreams, and a Satellite Showdown

WE Data leads fixed broadband with about 80% of subscriptions. Vodafone Egypt is the largest mobile operator with about 42% market share. Orange Egypt holds about 26% and Etisalat by e& about 22% of the mobile market. Fixed broadband median speed reached 76.7 Mbps by early 2025, while mobile data speed median via 3G/4G is around 24.2 Mbps. The regulator auctioned the 2600 MHz band in late 2020 for 5G, but full licenses were not immediately issued, and Telecom Egypt secured the first 5G spectrum license in 2024 for $150 million. The Haya Karima rural development initiative aims to connect
15 March 2025

Stock Market Today

OCBC share price ends lower ahead of Singapore banks’ earnings week — what investors watch next

OCBC share price ends lower ahead of Singapore banks’ earnings week — what investors watch next

7 February 2026
Singapore, Feb 7, 2026, 15:04 SGT — Market closed. Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited (OCBC) shares ended Friday down 1.03% at S$21.23. The stock traded between S$21.15 and S$21.35, with about 6.19 million shares changing hands. (Investing.com) With the Singapore market shut for the weekend, the focus shifts to the next catalyst rather than Friday’s tape. Investors want a clean read on whether pressure on bank lending spreads is finally easing as rates stabilise and funding costs cool. That matters now because results from Singapore’s three big lenders land in quick succession this month. Analysts have pointed to an end to
ST Engineering stock price drops 2% to S$9.71 as drone-autonomy tie-up grabs attention

ST Engineering stock price drops 2% to S$9.71 as drone-autonomy tie-up grabs attention

7 February 2026
ST Engineering shares fell 1.9% to S$9.71 Friday, outpacing the Singapore market’s 0.8% drop amid a tech-led selloff. The company signed a deal with Shield AI at the Singapore Airshow to integrate autonomy software into its unmanned platforms and unveiled a small drone capable of carrying explosives. About 6.9 million shares traded as investors await full-year results on Feb. 27.
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