Telecommunications in Togo

Telecommunications in Togo include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.

Radio and television

Radio stations: state-owned radio network with multiple stations; several dozen private radio stations and a few community radio stations; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available (2007).^[1]

Television stations: two state-owned TV stations with multiple transmission sites; 5 private TV stations broadcast locally; cable TV service is available (2007).^[1]

Private media in Togo have proliferated, with dozens of commercial and community radios and a handful of private TV stations in operation. Radio is the most popular medium, particularly in rural areas. The main TV station is the government-owned Television Togolaise.^[2]

The radio services of the BBC World Service, Gabon's Africa No. 1, and Radio France Internationale (RFI) are all available.^[2]

Telephone

See also: Telephone numbers in Togo

Calling code: +228^[1]

International call prefix: 00^[3]

Main lines:

• 225,000 lines in use, 127th in the world (2012);^[4]
• 213,800 lines in use, 126th in the world (2010).^[1]

Mobile cellular:

• 3.5 million lines, 124th in the world (2012);^[4]
• 2.5 million lines, 129th in the world (2010).^[1]

Telephone system: fair system based on network of microwave radio relay routes supplemented by open-wire lines and cellular system; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 50 telephones per 100 persons with mobile-cellular use predominating (2010).^[1]

Satellite earth stations: 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Symphonie (satellite) (2010).^[1]

Communications cables: West Africa Cable System (WACS), a submarine cable linking countries along the west coast of Africa with each other and with Portugal and the United Kingdom;^[5] GLO-1 which links countries along the west coast of Africa to each other and to Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom.^[6]

Internet

Top-level domain: .tg^[1]

Internet users:

• 278,442 users, 144th in the world; 4.0% of the population, 191st in the world (2012);^[7][8]
• 356,300 users, 123rd in the world (2009).^[1]

Fixed broadband: 5,560 subscriptions, 158th in the world; 0.1% of the population, 170th in the world (2012).^[7][9]

Wireless broadband: 47,892 subscribers, 125th in the world; 0.7% of the population, 135th in the world (2012).^[10]

Internet hosts:

• 1,168 hosts, 170th in the world (2012);^[4]
• 1,165 hosts, 169th in the world (2011).^[1]

IPv4: 13,312 addresses allocated, less than 0.05% of the world total, 1.9 addresses per 1000 people (2012).^[11][12]

Internet censorship and surveillance

There are no known government restrictions on access to the Internet or reports that the government monitors e-mail or Internet chat rooms without judicial oversight. Although the constitution provides for freedom of speech and press, the government restricts these rights.^[13]

The constitution and law prohibit arbitrary interference with privacy, family, home, or correspondence, and the government generally respects these prohibitions. In criminal cases a judge or senior police official may authorize searches of private residences. Citizens believe the government monitors telephones and correspondence, although such surveillance has not been confirmed.^[13]

See also

• Media of Togo
• Télévision Togolaise, the national broadcaster of Togo.
• List of terrestrial fibre optic cable projects in Africa
• Economy of Togo