Editing Telecommunications in Ghana (section)

==Internet==
[[File:Fibreoptic.jpg|thumb|200px|right|[[Optical fiber|Fiber optics]], used for high-speed [[Internet access]] and telecommunications.]]
{{See also |New media in Ghana}}

The [[top-level domain]] of Ghana is [[.gh]].<ref name=CIAWFB-Ghana-2014/>

Ghana was one of the first countries in Africa to connect to the Internet.<ref name=stats>[http://www.internetworldstats.com/af/gh.htm Ghana: Internet Usage and Telecommunications Report]. ''Internet World Stats''. Retrieved 24 April 2013.</ref> With an average household download speed of 5.8&nbsp;Mbit/s Ghana had the third fastest speed on the [[African continent]] and the 110th fastest out of 188 countries worldwide in February 2014.<ref name="Ookla Net Metrics">{{cite web |work=Ookla Net Metrics |publisher=[[Speedtest.net]] |url=http://www.netindex.com/download/allcountries/ |title=Ookla: Household Download Index |access-date=15 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118054535/http://www.netindex.com/download/allcountries/ |archive-date=18 January 2013 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

In 2009 the number of [[List of countries by number of Internet users|Internet users]] stood at 1.3&nbsp;million, 93rd in the world.<ref name=CIAWFB-Ghana-2014/> In 2012 the number of Internet users reached 4.2&nbsp;million (69th in the world) or 17.1% of the population (149th in the world).<ref name=NIUCalc>Calculated using penetration rate and population data from [https://www.census.gov/population/international/data/idb/rank.php "Countries and Areas Ranked by Population: 2012"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329060848/https://www.census.gov/population/international/data/idb/rank.php |date=29 March 2017 }}, Population data, International Programs, U.S. Census Bureau, retrieved 26 June 2013</ref><ref name=ITU-IndividualsUsingTheInternet>[http://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>

In 2012 there were 62,124 fixed (109th in the world; 0.3% of the population, 156th in the world) and 8.2&nbsp;million wireless (27th in the world; 33.3% of the population, 49th in the world) [[List of countries by number of broadband Internet subscriptions|broadband subscriptions]].<ref name=NIUCalc/><ref name="FixedBroadbandITUDynamic2012">[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><ref name="MobleBroadbandITUDynamic2012">[http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ICTEYE/Reporting/DynamicReportWizard.aspx "Active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 2012"], Dynamic Report, ITU ITC EYE, [[International Telecommunication Union]]. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.</ref>

In 2012 there were 59,086 [[List of countries by number of Internet hosts|Internet hosts]] operating in Ghana, 93rd in the world,<ref name=CIAWFB-Ghana-2014/> and Ghana had been allocated 332,544 [[List of countries by IPv4 address allocation|IPv4 addresses]], 102nd in the world, with less than 0.05% of the world total, and 13.2 addresses per 1000 people.<ref>[http://www.countryipblocks.net/country-blocks/select-formats/ Select Formats] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090513033601/http://www.countryipblocks.net/country-blocks/select-formats/ |date=13 May 2009 }}, Country IP Blocks. Accessed on 2 April 2012. Note: Site is said to be updated daily.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2119.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613003851/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2119.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 June 2007|title=Population|work=[[The World Factbook]]|location=United States|publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]]|access-date=2 April 2012}} Note: Data are mostly for 1 July 2012.</ref>

In 2010 there were 165 authorised [[Internet service provider]]s of which 30 were operating.<ref name=proexca>[http://www.proexca.es/Portals/0/Documents/EstudiosMercado/Africa/Informe_Telecomunicaciones_en_Ghana.pdf ''Market Report: Telecommunications in Ghana''] {{in lang|es}}, Nabila Atteneri Benítez Trujillo, Proexca, November 2010. Retrieved 24 April 2013.</ref>

===Internet censorship and surveillance===

There are no government restrictions on access to the Internet or reports that the government monitors e-mail or Internet [[chat rooms]] without judicial oversight. Individuals and groups engage in the peaceful expression of views via the Internet, including by e-mail.<ref name=USDOS-CRHRP-Ghana-2012>[https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2012&dlid=204126 "Ghana"], ''Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012'', Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 25 March 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2014.</ref>

While the constitution and law provide for [[freedom of speech]] and [[freedom of the press|press]], the government sometimes restricts those rights. The police arbitrarily arrest and detain journalists.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2010/af/154349.htm|title=Ghana|work=U.S. Department of State|access-date=2018-03-31|language=en-US}}</ref> Some journalists practice [[self-censorship]]. The constitution prohibits arbitrary interference with privacy, family, home, or correspondence, and the government respects these prohibitions in practice.<ref name=USDOS-CRHRP-Ghana-2012/>

In 2002 the government of Ghana censored Internet media coverage of tribal violence in [[Northern Ghana]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Ghana Internet Censorship 2008| date= 15 December 2008|publisher=NIBII|url=http://www.nibii.com/articlesghanacensorship}}</ref>