Telecommunications in Qatar
Telecommunications in Qatar is the development and infrastructure of communication systems in Qatar, including telephones, broadcasting, and internet services.
Historical development
[edit | edit source]Satellite communications
[edit | edit source]In 1977, Qatar commissioned its first satellite earth station, located about 35 kilometres (22 mi) west of Doha, at a cost of approximately QR 20 million. The facility featured a 270-ton antenna linked to the Indian Ocean satellite, enabling global multi-hop communication. This provided capacity for 30 international telephone circuits, supported 5,000 simultaneous calls, and transmitted two color television channels.[1]
Telex and telephone network expansion
[edit | edit source]An automated telex exchange was introduced in 1976, with Doha transmitting about 380,000 messages the year prior. In 1977, a QR 21 million expansion contract was awarded to increase Doha's central telephone exchange capacity to 16,200 lines, with construction of 11 rural exchanges. Once completed, the network was expected to support 30,000 lines nationwide.[1]
Internet
[edit | edit source]As of 2015, there are two ISPs in Qatar: Ooredoo (formerly Q-Tel) and Vodafone Qatar.[2] There were 563,800 internet users in 2009.[3] The country code (top level domain) is QA. ADSL was launched in 2002 in Qatar by Ooredoo. There were 25,000 ADSL users in 2005.[4]
A 2015 report by the UN Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development ranked Qatar in first place among the developing countries by their respective percentage population using internet. The country also ranked second globally for percentage of households with internet.[5]
5G
[edit | edit source]As of February 2023, 5G coverage in Qatar is at 70%.[citation needed] Ooredoo and Vodafone Qatar, the two major mobile operators in Qatar, have both announced plans to expand their 5G networks to cover the entire country by the end of 2023.[citation needed] The bandwidth of a 5G network in Qatar can be up to 100 MHz in frequency range 1 (FR1: 450 MHz to 6 GHz).[citation needed]
5G is expected to have a major impact on the economy of Qatar. It is expected to boost the country's GDP by $16 billion by 2025 and create over 100,000 jobs.[citation needed]
Radio
[edit | edit source]In 1998, Qatar had 6 AM radio stations, 5 FM stations, and 1 shortwave station. The number of radios was estimated at approximately 256,000 in 1997.[3]
Telephones
[edit | edit source]As of 2012, Qatar had approximately 327,000 main telephone lines in use. In the same year, mobile cellular subscriptions reached around 2.6 million.[3]
Qatar maintains a modern telecommunications system centered in its capital Doha. International connectivity is achieved through tropospheric scatter links to Bahrain, microwave radio relay connections to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and submarine cables linking Bahrain and the UAE. Satellite communication is supported by earth stations connected to the Intelsat network in both the Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions, as well as Arabsat.[3]
Television
[edit | edit source]As of 1997, Qatar operated one primary television broadcast station along with three repeaters. The number of television sets in the country was estimated at approximately 230,000 the same year.[3]
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "1977 Annual Report and Accounts". Qatar National Bank. 1977. p. 14. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
- ↑ Peter Kovessy (25 September 2015). "Survey: Telecom customers in Qatar want a third operator". Doha News. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Communications". CIA World Factbook. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ↑ "Q-Tel's ADSL base up 132%". Telegeography. 28 February 2006. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- ↑ "Internet penetration: Qatar ranks first". Gulf Times. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
- Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook website https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/.
