Starlink is a SpaceX satellite internet constellation that began launching in 2019 to deliver broadband virtually anywhere on Earth. As of late 2024, SpaceX had launched over 7,000 Starlink satellites, with FCC authorization for about 12,000 and potential expansion beyond 30,000 in the future. Starlink satellites orbit at approximately 550 km altitude in multiple orbital…
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As of early 2025, about 97.5 million Filipinos used the internet, representing 83.8% of the population. The Philippines is an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands, which makes laying fiber and building cell towers across distant areas difficult and costly. Mobile SIM penetration stood at about 123% by end-2024, with around 120+ million mobile subscriptions…
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Malaysia’s internet penetration exceeds 97% of the population, with mobile subscriptions around 130%. Fiber broadband in Kuala Lumpur is widely available, dominated by Telekom Malaysia’s Unifi, with TIME dotCom, Maxis, and CelcomDigi as major players; TIME offers symmetrical speeds up to 1 Gbps in many high-rise residences. By early 2024, about 3.32 million of Malaysia’s…
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The nationwide fiber backbone, the Next Gen NBN, uses NetLink Trust for passive infrastructure and a structural separation that lets Singtel, StarHub, and M1 jointly serve over 98% of fixed-line subscribers. Singapore’s average fixed broadband speed was about 336 Mbps in January 2025, making it the fastest globally. The government plans a 10 Gbps symmetric…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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As of mid-2024, the UAE’s telecom market is effectively a duopoly dominated by Etisalat (e& UAE) with about 12.9 million mobile subscribers (~61% share) and by du with about 8.2 million subscribers (~39% share; both majority government-owned). Abu Dhabi became the first capital city globally to be fully connected by fiber optics in 2011, and…
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Saudi Telecom Company (stc) accounted for about 67% of Saudi Arabia’s telecom market by revenue in Q3 2022, and held roughly 50–55% of mobile subscribers, with Mobily at 20–25% and Zain at 10–15%. The Saudi Open Access agreement in 2020 allows all six major network operators—stc, Mobily, Zain, Salam, Dawiyat, and GO Telecom—to share towers…
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Infrastructure and Major Service Providers Nigeria’s internet infrastructure relies on a combination of undersea fiber-optic cables, terrestrial networks, and a handful of dominant service providers. Multiple international submarine cables land in Nigeria, connecting it to global internet hubs. Key cables include: These undersea cables terminate in Lagos and other coastal landing stations, feeding into national…
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