Editing Kiribati (section)

== Communications and media ==
{{main|Mass media in Kiribati}}
With the combination of the islands' remote location in the Central Pacific at approximately the International Date Line, and islands spanning hundreds of miles north and south of the equator, communications within the country have always been challenging. Primarily, communication is conducted by radio and print media. [[Television Kiribati|TV Kiribati Ltd]] was owned by the government and operated between 2004 and mid-2012, but could not reach all of the islands. Radio Kiribati, based on Tarawa and operated by the government's Broadcasting and Publications Authority (BPA) on 1440&nbsp;kHz AM, is the only form of mass media that reaches all the major islands. Transmission hours are limited and local content in Gilbertese is supplemented by English summaries and BBC News.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tarawa, Kiribati |url=http://radio.garden/listen/kiribati-radio-live/lWw8pNel |access-date=24 June 2021}}</ref> The BPA and a private broadcaster also operate FM stations accessible on Tarawa.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kiribati Country Profile |url=https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/google_map_Tarawa.htm
|access-date=24 June 2021}}</ref><ref name="Savekiribati">{{cite web |title=Communication |url=https://savekiribati.com/communication.php |access-date=24 June 2021 |work=Savekiribati.com |archive-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624212456/https://savekiribati.com/communication.php |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Inter-island communications for many years relied on a centralized shortwave radio network operated by Telecom Services Kiribati, Ltd ([[Amalgamated Telecom Holdings Kiribati Limited|TSKL]]) based in each Island's Council Headquarters. Numerous issues including low availability, maintenance, privacy, and only one per island led TSKL to adopt satellite-based telephones. However, the system is more expensive and still only located at Council Headquarters.<ref name="Savekiribati" />

Print weeklies in Gilbertese include the ''Te Uekara'' published by the government, ''Te Mauri'' published by the Kiribati Protestant Church, and the ''Kiribati Independent'', published from [[Auckland]] as well as the ''Kiribati Newstar'', published in English.<ref name="Savekiribati" />

In December 2019, SpaceX launched the [[Kacific Broadband Satellites|Kacific1 broadband satellite]] that provides 100&nbsp;Mbit/s mobile and broadband service to 25 countries throughout to the Asia-Pacific region including Kiribati.<ref>{{cite web |title=SpaceX successfully launches Kacific 100Mbps satellite |url=https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-office/networking/spacex-successfully-launches-kacific-100mbps-satellite/ |access-date=13 July 2021 |date=17 December 2019 |first=Campbell |last=Kwan |website=[[ZDNet]]}}</ref> Three of the satellite's 56 spot beams provide overlapping coverage of the Gilbert Islands and Tuvalu; however, the more eastern regions of the country, the Phoenix and Line Islands, are outside of the satellite's coverage.<ref>{{ cite web|title= Kacific to double in size as first satellite launch nears, mulls second satellite |url= https://spacenews.com/kacific-to-double-in-size-as-first-satellite-launch-nears-mulls-second-satellite/ |first=Caleb |last=Henry |date=2 January 2019 |access-date=13 July 2021}}</ref>

The Southern Cross NEXT cable system, which entered service in July 2022,<ref>{{cite web |title=Southern Cross NEXT Is Now In-Service! |url=https://subtelforum.com/southern-cross-next-is-now-in-service/ |access-date=21 December 2022 |date=7 July 2022}}</ref> connects the US to Australia and provides service to eastern part of Kiribati (Kiritimati island) through the {{convert |234 |mi |km |adj=on}} Kiritimati Branch with one fiber pair. The network, which is an upgrade to the existing [[Southern Cross Cable]], also connects to Samoa, Fiji, and New Zealand.<ref>{{cite web |title=Southern Cross NEXT Cable System Overview |url=https://www.submarinenetworks.com/en/systems/trans-pacific/southern-cross-next/southern-cross-next-cable-system-overview |first=Winston |last=Qiu |access-date=13 July 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= FCC Approves Cable Landing License for the Southern Cross Next |url= https://www.submarinenetworks.com/en/systems/trans-pacific/southern-cross-next/fcc-approves-cable-landing-license-for-the-southern-crsoss-next |access-date=13 July 2021 |date=31 July 2020 |first=Winston |last=Qui }}</ref>

In June 2021, the World Bank-backed procurement for the East Micronesian Cable system was cancelled due to security concerns. The undersea fiberoptic system, which would have originated in [[Guam]], was "designed to improve the communications in the island nations of Nauru, Kiribati and Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)."<ref>{{cite news |title=EXCLUSIVE Pacific undersea cable project sinks after U.S. warns against Chinese bid |first1= Jonathan |last1=Barrett |first2= Yew Lun |last2= Tian |newspaper= Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/exclusive-pacific-undersea-cable-project-sinks-after-us-warns-against-chinese-2021-06-18/ |date=17 June 2021 |access-date=13 July 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= East Micronesia subsea cable scrapped as US says Chinese firms pose threat
|url= https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/east-micronesia-subsea-cable-scrapped-as-us-says-chinese-firms-pose-threat/ |access-date=13 July 2021 |date=18 June 2021 |first=Sebastian |last=Moss }}</ref> In January 2023, ministers from the three Pacific island nations signed a joint communiqué for moving forward with the stalled project. Funded by the U.S., Japan and Australia the project is valued at $70 million.<ref>{{cite web |title= FSM, Nauru, Kiribati reach a deal to push forward a stalled fiber optic cable project
|url=https://www.pacificislandtimes.com/post/fsm-nauru-kiribati-agree-to-push-forward-a-stalled-fiber-optic-cable-project |publisher=Pacific Island Times |date=2023-01-31 |access-date=2023-03-10 |first=Marc-Vic |last=Cagurangan }}</ref> In early 2023, it was reported that Kiribati became the first Pacific island country to receive [[Starlink]] services.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://ts2.space/en/starlink-in-kiribati/ |access-date=2023-03-15 |title= Starlink in Kiribati How Starlink is Improving Internet Connectivity in Kiribati |website=TS2 Space|date=2 March 2023 }}</ref>