View source for Telecommunications in Cyprus

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{{Multiple issues|{{More citations needed|date=March 2021}}{{Update|date=March 2024|inaccurate=yes}}}}

'''Telecommunications in Cyprus''' includes radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet, in the Republic of [[Cyprus]].

[[CYTA]], the state-owned telecommunications company, manages most [[telecommunications]] and [[internet]] connections on the island. However, following the recent{{when|date=January 2014}} [[liberalization]] of the telecommunications sector, a few{{vague|date=January 2014}} private telecommunications companies, have emerged.{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}

==Radio and television==
{{See also|List of radio stations in Cyprus|Television in Cyprus}}

The [[Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation]] (CyBC, {{langx|el|ΡΙΚ}}, {{langx|tr|KRYK}}) is the main broadcaster in Cyprus, although there are also privately owned 4 radio and 3 TV stations. A television channel from the [[Greece|Greek]] state broadcaster [[Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation|ERT]] ([[ERT World]]) is available. The [[British Forces Broadcasting Service]] also operates radio and TV stations, although the TV signal is now confined to the [[Akrotiri and Dhekelia|Sovereign Base Areas]] or encrypted for copyright reasons.{{citation needed|date=January 2014}}

*[[Radio broadcasting|Radio stations]]: A mixture of state and privately run radio services; the public broadcaster operates 4 radio stations; in addition a number of private radio stations are available; in Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus, there are 4 public radio stations as well as privately owned radio broadcast stations (2007).<ref name="CIAWFB-Cyprus-2013">"Communications", [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/cyprus/ Cyprus]. ''[[The World Factbook]]''. [[Central Intelligence Agency]], published 5 December 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2014.</ref>
*[[Radio receiver]]s: 310,000 (1997).{{update after|2014|1|8}}
*[[Television station]]s: A mixture of state and privately run services with island-wide coverage; the public broadcaster operates 3 free-to-air TV channels; 10 private free-to-air TV broadcasters, satellite and cable TV services including telecasts from Greece and Turkey are available; in Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus, there are 2 public TV stations, and privately owned TV broadcast stations (2007).<ref name="CIAWFB-Cyprus-2013"/>
*[[Television set]]s: 248,000 (1997).{{update after|2014|1|8}}
*Public TV stations:{{citation needed|date=January 2014}}
**[[RIK 1]], CyBC 1st channel.
**[[RIK 2]], CyBC 2nd channel.
**RIK HD, CyBC HD channel.
**ERT News channel.
*Private free-to-air TV stations:
**[[Alpha TV Cyprus|Alpha TV]]
**[[ANT1 Cyprus|ANT1 TV]]
**ART TV
**Capital TV
**[[Omega TV Cyprus|Omega TV]]
**One Cyprus
**[[Plus TV (Cyprus)|Plus TV]]
**[[Sigma TV]]
**Smile Cyprus
**Vergina Cyprus
*Subscriber TV: The first subscription channels in Cyprus were LTV and Alfa, offered by [[MultiChoice]] since the mid-1990s.{{citation needed|date=January 2014}} The current subscription channels are:
**Cablenet Cinema
**CytaVision Sports
**[[Greek Cinema (TV channel)|Greek Cinema]]
**Movies Best TV
**[[AC Omonia|Omonia TV]]
*Some major subscription TV platforms today are:{{citation needed|date=January 2014}}
**Cablenet, offering services over their cable network with their triple-play package with over 30 channels.
**CytaVision, offering approximately 30 channels via an ADSL [[Internet Protocol television|IPTV]] platform, as well as LTV and Alfa.
**[[Epic (Cyprus)|epic]], with 40 channels over IPTV.
**[[Nova (Forthnet)|Nova]], with approximately 35 themed channels via satellite.
**[[PrimeTel]], offers more than 30 digital TV channels using ADSL [[Internet Protocol television|IPTV]], as well as LTV and Nova packages.

==Telephones==
[[Image:Cyprus-telephone-box.JPG|thumb|Old telephone boxes in the [[Troodos Mountains]].]]
{{See also|Telephone numbers in Cyprus|Telephone numbers in Northern Cyprus}}

*[[List of country calling codes|Calling code]]: +357 for the Republic of Cyprus and +90 for Northern Cyprus, which uses the [[Telephone numbers in Turkey|Turkish numbering plan]].<ref name=CIAWFB-Cyprus-2013/>
*[[List of international call prefixes|International call prefix]]: 00<ref>[https://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-t/opb/sp/T-SP-E.164C-2011-PDF-E.pdf ''Dialing Procedures (International Prefix, National (Trunk) Prefix and National (Significant) Number) (in Accordance with ITY-T Recommendation E.164 (11/2010))''], Annex to ITU Operational Bulletin No. 994-15.XII.2011, International Telecommunication Union (ITU, Geneva), 15 December 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2014.</ref>
*Domestic: excellent system in both the area under Republic of Cyprus government control and Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus; open wire, [[fiber-optic cable]] and [[Microwave transmission|microwave radio relay]].<ref name=CIAWFB-Cyprus-2013/>
*International:
**[[Tropospheric scatter]];<ref name=CIAWFB-Cyprus-2013/>
**[[List of international submarine communications cables|Communications cables]]: a number of submarine cables, including the [[SEA-ME-WE 3]], combine to provide connectivity to [[Western Europe]], the [[Middle East]] and [[Asia]];<ref name=CIAWFB-Cyprus-2013/>
**[[Communications satellite|Satellite earth stations]]: 8 as follows: 3 [[Intelsat]] (1 [[Atlantic Ocean]] and 2 [[Indian Ocean]]), 2 [[Eutelsat]], 2 [[Intersputnik]] and 1 [[Arab Satellite Communications Organization|ArabSat]].<ref name=CIAWFB-Cyprus-2013/>
*Main lines: 373,200 lines in use, 108th in the world (2012).<ref name=CIAWFB-Cyprus-2013/>
*Companies that offer land-based telecommunication services:{{citation needed |date=January 2014}}
**[https://cablenet.com.cy/ Cablenet]
**[[CYTA]]
**[[Epic (Cyprus)|epic]]
**[http://www.omega-telecom.com/ Omega Telecom]
**[[PrimeTel]]
*Mobile cellular: 1.1 million lines, 155th in the world (2012).<ref name=CIAWFB-Cyprus-2013/>
*Companies that offer mobile cellular services:{{citation needed|date=January 2014}}
**Cytamobile-Vodafone, a subsidiary of [[CYTA]] and is a Vodafone partner network.
**[[Epic (Cyprus)|epic]]
**[[PrimeTel|PrimeTel Mobile]]
*Companies that offer Voice over IP (VoIP)/Cloud Telephony Services:
**[https://kcm-telecom.com/ KCM Telecom], Revocoms Ltd., offers cloud and on premise based managed service telephony solutions to businesses.

==Internet==
[[Asymmetric digital subscriber line]], the most widespread [[broadband]] technology in Cyprus, is available in most urban and sub-urban areas, with multiple providers offering packages that range from 512&nbsp;kbit/s to 32&nbsp;Mbit/s. Cable broadband is also available in some urban locations ([[Nicosia]], [[Larnaca]] and [[Limassol]]) with speeds up to 150&nbsp;Mbit/s. An [[internet service provider]] comparison website exists at the Cyprus Broadband portal.<ref>[https://www.cyprusbroadband.net/ Cyprus Broadband portal]. Retrieved 7 January 2014.</ref> Many wireless networks are appearing in [[Cyprus]], some with no minimum contract/pay as you go<ref>[https://www.leapwifi.com/ Cyprus Internet], Leap Wireless. Retrieved 7 January 2014.</ref> and others with a fixed contract.{{citation needed|date=January 2014}} [[Quantum Cable]] is planned 7,700&nbsp;km  ultra high speed [[optical fiber]] [[submarine communications cable]] system connecting [[Cyprus]] with [[Greece]], [[Israel]], [[Italy]], [[France]] and [[Spain]].<ref name="nyt">{{Cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-superfast-internet-cable-to-cross-mediterranean-sea-2018-1|title='Superfast' internet cable to cross Mediterranean sea|website=[[Business Insider]]|date=2018-01-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180205184617/http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-superfast-internet-cable-to-cross-mediterranean-sea-2018-1|archive-date=2018-02-05}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://phys.org/news/2018-01-superfast-internet-cable-mediterranean-sea.html|title='Superfast' internet cable to cross Mediterranean sea|website=phys.org}}</ref><ref>[https://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2018-01-16/superfast-internet-cable-to-cross-mediterranean-sea 'Superfast' internet cable to cross Mediterranean sea, US News, January 16, 2018]</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/superfast-internet-cable-to-cross-mediterranean-sea|title='Superfast' internet cable to cross Mediterranean sea|newspaper=Financial Post|date=16 January 2018}}</ref><ref name=cm>{{Cite web|url=https://cyprus-mail.com/2018/01/18/quantum-cable-revolutionise-global-telecoms/|title='Quantum Cable' to revolutionise global telecoms &#124; Cyprus Mail}}</ref><ref name="QC">{{Cite web|url=https://www.quantum-cable.com/|title=Quantum Cable|website=www.quantum-cable.com}}</ref>

It is expected to have 160 [[terabit]]s per second, capacity equivalent to streaming 80 million HD video conference calls at the same time. The Quantum Cable will be laid  at same time with the 2,000 MW [[EuroAsia Interconnector]]. Quantum Cable will upgrade Cyprus to telecom hub and will support [[data center]]s on Cyprus.<ref name=cm/><ref name="QC"/>

*[[Top-level domain]]s: [[.cy]]<ref name=CIAWFB-Cyprus-2013/> for Cyprus
*[[List of countries by number of Internet users|Internet users]]: 694,223 users, 126th in the world; 61.0% of the population, 63rd in the world (2012).<ref name=NIUCalc>Calculated using penetration rate and population data from [https://web.archive.org/web/20110630220244/http://www.census.gov/population/international/data/idb/rank.php "Countries and Areas Ranked by Population: 2012"], Population data, International Programs, U.S. Census Bureau, retrieved 26 June 2013</ref><ref name=ITU-IndividualsUsingTheInternet>[https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/statistics/2013/Individuals_Internet_2000-2012.xls "Percentage of Individuals using the Internet 2000-2012"], International Telecommunication Union (Geneva), June 2013, retrieved 22 June 2013</ref>
*[[List of countries by number of broadband Internet subscriptions|Fixed broadband]]: 218,783 subscriptions, 82nd in the world; 19.2% of population, 51st in the world (2012).<ref name=NIUCalc/><ref name="BroadbandITUDynamic2012">[https://web.archive.org/web/20180131095656/http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ICTEYE/Reporting/DynamicReportWizard.aspx "Fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 2012"], Dynamic Report, ITU ITC EYE, [[International Telecommunication Union]]. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.</ref>
*[[List of countries by number of broadband Internet subscriptions|Wireless broadband]]: 384,270 subscriptions, 98th in the world; 33.8% of the population, 47th in the world (2012).<ref name="BroadbandITUDynamic2012"/>
*[[List of countries by number of Internet hosts|Internet hosts]]: 252,013 hosts, 67th in the world (2012).<ref name=CIAWFB-Cyprus-2013/>
*[[IPv4]]: 1.1 million addresses allocated, less than 0.05% of the world total, 999 addresses per 1000 people (2012).<ref>[https://www.countryipblocks.net/acl.php Select Formats], Country IP Blocks. Accessed on 2 April 2012. Note: Site is said to be updated daily.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110623043904/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2119.html Population], [[The World Factbook]], [[United States]] [[Central Intelligence Agency]]. Accessed on 2 April 2012. Note: Data are mostly for 1 July 2012.</ref>
*[[Internet service provider]]s: 11 ISPs (2006).{{update after|2014|1|8}}
*Internet providers in Cyprus:{{citation needed|date=January 2014}}
**[https://cablenet.com.cy/ Cablenet]
**[[CYTA]]net
**[[Epic (Cyprus)|epic]]
**[[IPTP Networks]] (a.k.a. Fredonia Trading)
**[[PrimeTel]]

===Internet censorship and surveillance===
There are no government restrictions on access to the Internet, with the exception that gambling sites not licensed by the Republic of Cyprus are blocked,<ref name="The Betting Law of 2012">{{cite web|title=The Betting Law of 2012 (see section 65)|url=http://nba.gov.cy/wp-content/uploads/TheBettingLawof2012.pdf|website=National Betting Authority, Cyprus|publisher=Republic Of Cyprus|access-date=25 March 2017}}</ref> or reports that the government monitored [[email]] or Internet [[chat room]]s without appropriate legal authority. Individuals and groups engage in the peaceful expression of views via the Internet, including e‑mail.<ref name=USDOS-CRHRP-Cyprus-2012>[https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2012&dlid=204274 "Cyprus"], ''Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012'', Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 22 March 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2014.</ref> The law provides for [[freedom of speech]] and [[Freedom of the press|press]] and the government generally respects these rights in practice. An independent press, an effective judiciary, and a functioning democratic political system combine to ensure freedom of speech and press. The law prohibits arbitrary interference with privacy, family, home, or correspondence, and the government generally respects these prohibitions in practice.<ref name=USDOS-CRHRP-Cyprus-2012/>

==Northern Cyprus==
{{Main|Northern Cyprus}}

The northern part of the island is controlled by the de facto Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The status of Northern Cyprus as a separate entity is recognised only by Turkey, which keeps around 30,000 troops in the north of the island.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1016541.stm "Cyprus country profile"], ''BBC News'', 23 December 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2014.</ref>

International telephone calls to northern Cyprus are routed via a Turkish [[List of country calling codes|dialing code]] ([[Telephone numbers in Turkey|+90 392]]) as northern Cyprus has neither its own country code nor official [[ITU prefix]]. Similarly, there is no [[top-level domain|Internet top-level domain]] for northern Cyprus, which is instead under the Turkish second-level domain [[.tr#.ct.tr and .nc.tr|.ct.tr and .nc.tr]]. [[Amateur radio]] operators sometimes use [[call sign]]s beginning with "1B", but these have no standing for awards or other operating credit.{{citation needed|date=January 2014}}

==See also==
*[[Mass media in Cyprus]]
*[[Cyprus Internet Exchange]]
*[[Cyprus Safer Internet Helpline]]
*[[Cyprus Safer Internet Hotline]]

==References==
{{more citations needed|date=January 2014}}
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Refbegin}}
*{{CIA World Factbook|year=2013}}
*{{US DOS|year=2012}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
*[https://www.cyta.com.cy/personal/en Cyprus Telecommunication Authority] (CYTA), personal website.
*[https://www.cyta.com.cy/business/en Cyprus Telecommunication Authority] (CYTA), business website.
*[https://www.cyta.com.cy/about/en Cyprus Telecommunication Authority] (CYTA), company website.

{{Telecommunications in Europe}}
{{Telecommunications}}
{{Internet in Europe}}
{{Internet censorship by country}}
{{Cyprus topics}}

[[Category:Telecommunications in Cyprus]]