Editing Telecommunications in Belarus (section)

==Internet==
* Country code: [[.by]]

The state telecom monopoly, Beltelecom, holds the exclusive interconnection with Internet providers outside of Belarus. Beltelecom owns all the backbone channels that linked to the Lattelecom, TEO LT, [[Tata Communications]] (former [[Teleglobe]]), Synterra, [[Rostelecom]], Transtelekom and MTS ISP's. Beltelecom is the only operator licensed to provide commercial VoIP services in Belarus.<ref name=ONI-Belarus-Nov2010>[http://opennet.net/research/profiles/belarus "ONI Country Profile: Belarus"], OpenNet Initiative, 18 November 2010</ref>

Until 2005–2006 broadband access (mostly using [[ADSL]]) was available only in a few major cities in Belarus. In [[Minsk]] there were a dozen privately owned ISP's and in some larger cities Beltelecom's broadband was available. Outside these cities the only options for Internet access were [[dial-up]] from Beltelecom or [[GPRS]]/[[cdma2000]] from mobile operators. In 2006 Beltelecom introduced a new trademark, ''Byfly'', for its [[ADSL]] access. As of 2008 Byfly was available in all [[administrative centre]]s of Belarus. Other ISPs are expanding their broadband networks beyond Minsk as well.

Internet use:
* According to a 2006 survey of 1,500 adults by Satio, a third of Belarusians use the Internet—38% of the urban population and 16% of the rural population.<ref>[http://www.mk.by/archiv/22.12.2006/rub2.php#2 Минский Курьер: №1096 Пятница 22 Декабря 2006г<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928000508/http://www.mk.by/archiv/22.12.2006/rub2.php#2 |date=28 September 2007 }}</ref>
* A 2006 study by the [[United Nations Conference on Trade and Development]] indicates 56.5% of Belarus' population were internet-users.<ref>[http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/sdteecb20071_en.pdf "Information Economy Report 2007-2008"], United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD.org), 6 February 2008, {{ISBN|978-92-1-112724-9}}</ref>
* The [[International Telecommunication Union]] showed Internet penetration (Internet users per 100 population) in 2009 at 27% for Belarus, 42% for Serbia, 37% for Romania, 29% for Russia, and 17% for Ukraine.<ref>[http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/material/excel/EstimatedInternetUsers00-09.xls "Estimated Internet users 2000 to 2009"], spreadsheet, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)</ref>
* According to Internet World Stats, Internet penetration in June 2010 was 47.5%.<ref>[http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats4.htm#europe "Internet Usage in Europe"], Internet World Stats, 30 June 2010</ref> For comparison, Internet penetration in Ukraine was 33.7%, in Romania 35.5%, Russia 42.8%, and Serbia 55.9%.

The most active Internet users in Belarus belong to the 17–22 age group (38 percent), followed by users in the 23–29 age group. Internet access in Belarus is predominantly urban, with 60 percent of users living in the capital Minsk. The profile of the average Internet user is male, university educated, living in the capital, and working in a state enterprise. The Ministry for Statistics and Analysis estimates that one in four families in Belarus owns a computer at home. The popularity of [[Internet café]]s has fallen in recent years, as most users prefer to access the Internet from home or work. Russian is the most widely used language by Belarusians on the Internet, followed by Belarusian, English, and Polish.<ref name=ONI-Belarus-Nov2010/>

In mid-2009 there were more than 22,300 Belarusian Web sites, of which roughly 13,500 domain names were registered with the top-level domain name "[[.by]]".<ref name=ONI-Belarus-Nov2010/>

In June 2011 E-Belarus.org listed:<ref>[http://www.e-belarus.org/links/index.html "ITC in Belarus"], E-Belarus.org. Retrieved 13 June 2011</ref>

* 2 ISPs in the Brest region, 4 in the Gomel region, 1 in the Grodno region, 26 in the Minsk region, 1 in the Mogilev region, and 1 in the Vitebsk region
* 4 ADSL providers
* 3 technology parks
* 2 educational networks
* more than 30 [[Internet cafes]] and [[Hotspot (Wi-Fi)|Wi-Fi Hotspots]]