Gambia, The
The government strengthened its ability to control the internet in 2013 and 2014 through both technical and legal means. In March 2014, internet access was disconnected for 48 hours, enabled by state control over the country’s telecommunications infrastructure, while the popular Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) application, Viber, was blocked a few weeks later. Internet cafe registration regulations were initiated in April 2013, requiring an onerous application process, and in September 2013, the regulator issued further guidelines that mandated specific requirements on the physical layout of cyber cafes and the signs that must be displayed
Obstacles to Access:
Access to the internet in The Gambia has increased steadily over the past decade, from a penetration rate of less than 4 percent in 2004 to 14 percent in 2013, according to the latest data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).[2] Fixed-broadband subscriptions are still paltry, however, at a penetration rate of a mere 0.02 percent in 2013,[3] and internet infrastructure is virtually nonexistent in rural areas, resulting in a significant urban-rural divide in access. By contrast, The Gambia has one of the highest mobile phone penetrations in Africa , with an access rate of nearly 100 percent in 2013, up from 13 percent a decade ago,[4] though only 1.2 percent of the population has access to mobile broadband.[5]
At a cost of about US$8 per month, fixed-line subscriptions are expensive for individual users in The Gambia, where average monthly household incomes are less than US$50.[6] Consequently, most internet access in The Gambia is via dial-up at public internet cafes, which charge about US$1 per hour of access. The recent introduction of 3G wireless internet connections via mobile devices has made internet access more attainable, albeit only for a small subset of the population who can afford the unlimited 3G wireless packages that begin at about US$62 per month.[7]
Meanwhile, connection speeds are very slow, averaging 1.2 Mbps (compared to a global average of 3.9 Mbps), according to May 2014 data from Akamai’s “State of the Internet” report.[8] In addition, The Gambia’s broadband adoption rate (characterized by connection speeds greater than 4 Mbps) was about 5 percent of the internet population,[9] while the country’s narrowband adoption rate (connection speed below 256 kbps) was 9 percent.[10]
Rural areas suffer from poor cellular reception and network coverage, which is compounded by poor infrastructure, frequent power cuts, and a lack of electricity.[11] Moreover, network coverage of rural areas has not been a priority for most service providers,[12] making rural provinces in The Gambia one of the most “disconnected regions of the world.”[13] Radio remains the principal mass medium through which most Gambians stay informed.
There are four internet service providers in The Gambia—Gamtel, QuantumNet, Netpage, and Airtip—that deliver service only in urban areas.[14] Four GSM companies provide internet service for mobile devices: Africell and QCell, which are privately owned; the state-owned Gamtel’s subsidiary, Gamcel, which provides 3G internet services; and Comium, the newest private player in the market, which provides 2G internet services in addition to regular calls.[15]
The Gambia Telecommunications Company Limited, Gamtel, owns the fiber-optic cable that runs across the country and is the sole fixed-line provider . As a state-owned entity, Gamtel also controls the international gateway, allowing private telecoms to lease the gateway for data services only. In May 2013, however, the government began the process of liberalizing international gateway services by granting international data transmission licenses to private telecom operators.[16] Voice communications, on the other hand, remain purely state-owned and controlled as part of the government’s effort to protect Gamtel’s monopoly.
Meanwhile, the ACE (Africa Coast to Europe) submarine cable system landed in The Gambia in December 2012, connecting the country to the 14,000 kilometer fiber-optic cable that stretches from France down the west coast of Africa to South Africa.[17] Controlled by Gamtel, the ACE cable was expected to boost bandwidth and drive new services at more affordable rates, but as of mid-2014, such improvements have yet to be realized.
Despite the recent liberalization of the international gateway, the Gambian government still exerts a significant level of control over internet access in the country. In April 2013, the regulator PURA issued a press release banning internet cafes from offering Voice over IP (VoIP) calling services such as Skype, citing the need to protect the country’s “national interest.”[18] Cybercafes were also banned from offering internet dating services, providing no justification. In response to public outcry over the ban, the Ministry of Information and Communication Infrastructure issued another press release two days later, clarifying that the use of VoIP services was not in fact prohibited. Rather, the government restricted internet cafes from commercializing VoIP services, or charging additional rates for VoIP calls on top of standard internet access rates.[19] People continued to use these services freely, especially on their personal devices.
In March 2014, users within the country reported experiencing an internet blackout for 48 hours.[20] Though the reason for the blackout remains unknown, observers suspected that the disruption was a result of the government’s efforts to block VoIP applications.[21] The popular VoIP application, Viber, was subsequently blocked a week later.[22] While the government denied involvement and hinted that the block may have been engineered by services providers,[23] the government is said to believe that platforms such as Viber are enabling exiled Gambian journalists to deliver objectionable information to the public.[24] Users reported that Viber was unblocked in July 2014 for unclear reasons.[25] Meanwhile, the popular messaging application, WhatsApp, is currently unavailable for download in the country as of mid-2014, though users who have the application preinstalled are still able to use it.[26]
The telecommunications sector is not well regulated, and like in many other sectors, businesses must contend with inefficient bureaucracies. Registration for internet and mobile phone service providers is an onerous and expensive process with numerous requirements to fulfill. In addition, corruption among the authorities is rife. For example, when Qcell, one of the leading GSM companies in country, was forced to suspend its mobile money service known as QPOWER in March 2013, it reportedly gifted two new cars to Gambian President Yahya Jammeh for his birthday, which subsequently led to a resumption of the QPOWER service in June.[27]
Internet cafe operators must also contend with onerous and opaque regulatory obstacles. For example, cybercafe owners are required to register with the regulatory agency for an operating license (in addition to a requisite business license) through an application that requires details of the ISP, the number of computers installed, and services provided.[28] The registration requirement was initiated in April 2013, shortly after another directive was issued banning cybercafes from commercializing dating and VoIP services.[29] Existing cybercafes were given the deadline of May 27, 2013 to submit their applications and registration fees to the regulatory agency or face closure.[30] Later in September 2013, the regulator issued further guidelines that dictated specific requirements on the physical layout of cybercafes and the signs that must be displayed.[31]
The internet and other public utilities are regulated under The Gambia Public Utilities Regulatory Authority Act 2001, which established the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) in 2004 to regulate the activities of telecom service providers and other public utilities.[32] To some consumer activists, PURA has been an ineffective regulator that seems more concerned about its image than the interests of consumers.[33] As it stands in 2014, PURA neither has the expertise, equipment, nor enforcement power to effectively carry out its mandate.[34] Furthermore, PURA is not independent, at least in its composition. The president appoints the governing board of the regulatory body on the recommendation of the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs.[35]
The popular VoIP platform, Viber, was blocked in March 2014[39] and unblocked in July 2014 for unclear reasons.
tech-savvy Gambians use virtual private network (VPNs) and other proxies to access blocked content from within the country
https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/2014/gambia
The government strengthened its ability to control the internet in 2013 and 2014 through both technical and legal means. In March 2014, internet access was disconnected for 48 hours, enabled by state control over the country’s telecommunications infrastructure, while the popular Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) application, Viber, was blocked a few weeks later. Internet cafe registration regulations were initiated in April 2013, requiring an onerous application process, and in September 2013, the regulator issued further guidelines that mandated specific requirements on the physical layout of cyber cafes and the signs that must be displayed
Obstacles to Access:
Access to the internet in The Gambia has increased steadily over the past decade, from a penetration rate of less than 4 percent in 2004 to 14 percent in 2013, according to the latest data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).[2] Fixed-broadband subscriptions are still paltry, however, at a penetration rate of a mere 0.02 percent in 2013,[3] and internet infrastructure is virtually nonexistent in rural areas, resulting in a significant urban-rural divide in access. By contrast, The Gambia has one of the highest mobile phone penetrations in Africa , with an access rate of nearly 100 percent in 2013, up from 13 percent a decade ago,[4] though only 1.2 percent of the population has access to mobile broadband.[5]
At a cost of about US$8 per month, fixed-line subscriptions are expensive for individual users in The Gambia, where average monthly household incomes are less than US$50.[6] Consequently, most internet access in The Gambia is via dial-up at public internet cafes, which charge about US$1 per hour of access. The recent introduction of 3G wireless internet connections via mobile devices has made internet access more attainable, albeit only for a small subset of the population who can afford the unlimited 3G wireless packages that begin at about US$62 per month.[7]
Meanwhile, connection speeds are very slow, averaging 1.2 Mbps (compared to a global average of 3.9 Mbps), according to May 2014 data from Akamai’s “State of the Internet” report.[8] In addition, The Gambia’s broadband adoption rate (characterized by connection speeds greater than 4 Mbps) was about 5 percent of the internet population,[9] while the country’s narrowband adoption rate (connection speed below 256 kbps) was 9 percent.[10]
Rural areas suffer from poor cellular reception and network coverage, which is compounded by poor infrastructure, frequent power cuts, and a lack of electricity.[11] Moreover, network coverage of rural areas has not been a priority for most service providers,[12] making rural provinces in The Gambia one of the most “disconnected regions of the world.”[13] Radio remains the principal mass medium through which most Gambians stay informed.
There are four internet service providers in The Gambia—Gamtel, QuantumNet, Netpage, and Airtip—that deliver service only in urban areas.[14] Four GSM companies provide internet service for mobile devices: Africell and QCell, which are privately owned; the state-owned Gamtel’s subsidiary, Gamcel, which provides 3G internet services; and Comium, the newest private player in the market, which provides 2G internet services in addition to regular calls.[15]
The Gambia Telecommunications Company Limited, Gamtel, owns the fiber-optic cable that runs across the country and is the sole fixed-line provider . As a state-owned entity, Gamtel also controls the international gateway, allowing private telecoms to lease the gateway for data services only. In May 2013, however, the government began the process of liberalizing international gateway services by granting international data transmission licenses to private telecom operators.[16] Voice communications, on the other hand, remain purely state-owned and controlled as part of the government’s effort to protect Gamtel’s monopoly.
Meanwhile, the ACE (Africa Coast to Europe) submarine cable system landed in The Gambia in December 2012, connecting the country to the 14,000 kilometer fiber-optic cable that stretches from France down the west coast of Africa to South Africa.[17] Controlled by Gamtel, the ACE cable was expected to boost bandwidth and drive new services at more affordable rates, but as of mid-2014, such improvements have yet to be realized.
Despite the recent liberalization of the international gateway, the Gambian government still exerts a significant level of control over internet access in the country. In April 2013, the regulator PURA issued a press release banning internet cafes from offering Voice over IP (VoIP) calling services such as Skype, citing the need to protect the country’s “national interest.”[18] Cybercafes were also banned from offering internet dating services, providing no justification. In response to public outcry over the ban, the Ministry of Information and Communication Infrastructure issued another press release two days later, clarifying that the use of VoIP services was not in fact prohibited. Rather, the government restricted internet cafes from commercializing VoIP services, or charging additional rates for VoIP calls on top of standard internet access rates.[19] People continued to use these services freely, especially on their personal devices.
In March 2014, users within the country reported experiencing an internet blackout for 48 hours.[20] Though the reason for the blackout remains unknown, observers suspected that the disruption was a result of the government’s efforts to block VoIP applications.[21] The popular VoIP application, Viber, was subsequently blocked a week later.[22] While the government denied involvement and hinted that the block may have been engineered by services providers,[23] the government is said to believe that platforms such as Viber are enabling exiled Gambian journalists to deliver objectionable information to the public.[24] Users reported that Viber was unblocked in July 2014 for unclear reasons.[25] Meanwhile, the popular messaging application, WhatsApp, is currently unavailable for download in the country as of mid-2014, though users who have the application preinstalled are still able to use it.[26]
The telecommunications sector is not well regulated, and like in many other sectors, businesses must contend with inefficient bureaucracies. Registration for internet and mobile phone service providers is an onerous and expensive process with numerous requirements to fulfill. In addition, corruption among the authorities is rife. For example, when Qcell, one of the leading GSM companies in country, was forced to suspend its mobile money service known as QPOWER in March 2013, it reportedly gifted two new cars to Gambian President Yahya Jammeh for his birthday, which subsequently led to a resumption of the QPOWER service in June.[27]
Internet cafe operators must also contend with onerous and opaque regulatory obstacles. For example, cybercafe owners are required to register with the regulatory agency for an operating license (in addition to a requisite business license) through an application that requires details of the ISP, the number of computers installed, and services provided.[28] The registration requirement was initiated in April 2013, shortly after another directive was issued banning cybercafes from commercializing dating and VoIP services.[29] Existing cybercafes were given the deadline of May 27, 2013 to submit their applications and registration fees to the regulatory agency or face closure.[30] Later in September 2013, the regulator issued further guidelines that dictated specific requirements on the physical layout of cybercafes and the signs that must be displayed.[31]
The internet and other public utilities are regulated under The Gambia Public Utilities Regulatory Authority Act 2001, which established the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) in 2004 to regulate the activities of telecom service providers and other public utilities.[32] To some consumer activists, PURA has been an ineffective regulator that seems more concerned about its image than the interests of consumers.[33] As it stands in 2014, PURA neither has the expertise, equipment, nor enforcement power to effectively carry out its mandate.[34] Furthermore, PURA is not independent, at least in its composition. The president appoints the governing board of the regulatory body on the recommendation of the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs.[35]
The popular VoIP platform, Viber, was blocked in March 2014[39] and unblocked in July 2014 for unclear reasons.
tech-savvy Gambians use virtual private network (VPNs) and other proxies to access blocked content from within the country
https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/2014/gambia
