Page last updated on June 20, 2014

Telephones - main lines in use:
327,000 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 111
[see also: Telephones - main lines in use country ranks ]

Telephones - mobile cellular:
2.6 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 136
[see also: Telephones - mobile cellular country ranks ]

Telephone system:
general assessment: modern system centered in Doha
domestic: combined fixed and mobile-cellular telephone subscribership exceeds 130 telephones per 100 persons
international: country code - 974; landing point for the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine cable network that provides links to Asia, Middle East, Europe, and the US; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and the UAE; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat (2011)

Broadcast media:
TV and radio broadcast licensing and access to local media markets are state controlled; home of the satellite TV channel Al-Jazeera, which was originally owned and financed by the Qatari government, but has evolved to independent corporate status; Al-Jazeera claims editorial independence in broadcasting; local radio transmissions include state, private, and international broadcasters on FM frequencies in Doha; in August 2013, Qatar's satellite company Es'hailSat launched its first communications satellite Es'hail 1 (manufactured in the US), which entered commercial service in December 2013 to provide improved television broadcasting capability and expand availability of voice and internet; Es'hailSat released a request for proposals in March 2014 for its second satellite to launch in 2016 (2014)

Internet country code:
.qa

Internet hosts:
897 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 173
[see also: Internet hosts country ranks ]

Internet users:
563,800 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 117
[see also: Internet users country ranks ]