Editing Telecommunications in Greenland

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{{update|date=February 2021}}
'''Telecommunications in Greenland''' include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.

[[Greenland]] has, by law, only one service provider for [[telecommunications]] and the [[Internet]], [[TELE Greenland]], which is fully owned by the [[Naalakkersuisut|Greenlandic Home Rule government]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tele.gl|title=TELE -|website=www.tele.gl|access-date=25 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115200602/http://www.tele.gl/|archive-date=15 January 2016}}</ref> TELE Greenland provides switched telephone and data, land mobile communications, and VHF and MF shore-to-ship communication.<ref name=itu>[http://www.itu.int/itudoc/itu-d/wtdc/wtdc98/docs/17.pdf  "TELE Greenland A/S"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012202638/http://www.itu.int/itudoc/itu-d/wtdc/wtdc98/docs/17.pdf |date=12 October 2012 }}, Telecommunication Development Bureau, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), 17 December 1997. Retrieved 8 November 2009.</ref> This type of monopoly is not uncommon in Greenland.

==Radio and television==
[[File:KNR - Greenlandic Broadcasting Corporation, Nuuk, Greenland.jpg|thumb|KNR Headquarters in Nuuk]]

Television in Greenland began in the 1960s.

Privately owned transmitters were created to receive TV from Canada, Iceland, and mainland Denmark. This can date as far back when television was introduced to Greenland in the 1960s. It was possible to receive TV from Canada with a normal household TV antenna, but color transmissions were NTSC and signals were in very bad quality and however in some circumstances, television transmissions were not available at all due to factors such as weather conditions or time of day, even for the people who owned private transmitters. Greenland did not have any local TV service until 1982.

The state broadcaster is [[Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa]] (KNR, Greenlandic Broadcasting Corporation), which provides one television and one radio service nationwide.<ref>[http://knr.gl Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa (KNR): Greenlandic Broadcasting Corporation] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141001165633/http://knr.gl/ |date=1 October 2014 }}.</ref> Both broadcast in Greenlandic and Danish. Administered as an independent public corporation by the [[Naalakkersuisut|Greenlandic government]], KNR has a seven-person board and management committee. They employ 100 people and are funded publicly and by advertising.<ref name=knr>[http://www.knr.gl/?id=13 "About KNR"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120905152205/http://www.knr.gl/?id=13 |date=5 September 2012 }}, Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa (KNR): Greenlandic Broadcasting Corporation, 2008. Retrieved 8 November 2009.</ref>

A few private local TV and radio stations are also available as Danish public radio rebroadcasts.<ref name=CIAWFB-Greenland/> An umbrella organization in Greenland, known as the STTK, operates local radio and TV stations throughout the country.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-18249814|title=Greenland profile – Media|date=2012-05-29|newspaper=BBC News|language=en-GB|access-date=2017-01-18|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131184429/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-18249814|archive-date=31 January 2017}}</ref> There are also [[American Forces Network]] stations, operated by the [[United States Air Force]].

Greenlanders owned an estimated 30,000 radios and 30,000 television sets, as of 2002.<ref name=press>Jenny B. David, [http://www.pressreference.com/Fa-Gu/Greenland.html "Greenland Press, Media, TV, and Newspapers"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109035529/http://www.pressreference.com/Fa-Gu/Greenland.html |date=9 January 2014 }}, ''Press Reference'', 2002. Retrieved 8 November 2009.</ref>{{update after|2014|1|9}}

==Telephones==
{{See also |Telephone numbers in Greenland}}

* [[Calling code]]: +299<ref name="CIAWFB-Greenland">{{Cite web|date=2021-02-24|title=Greenland - The World Factbook|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/greenland/|access-date=2021-02-27|website=www.cia.gov|publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]]}}</ref>
* [[International call prefix]]: 00<ref>[http://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))''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130818054651/http://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-t/opb/sp/T-SP-E.164C-2011-PDF-E.pdf |date=18 August 2013 }}, Annex to ITU Operational Bulletin No. 994-15.XII.2011, International Telecommunication Union (ITU, Geneva), 15 December 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2014.</ref>
* Fixed telephone lines: 7,259 lines in use, 197th in the world (2019).<ref name=CIAWFB-Greenland/>
* Mobile telephone connections: 66,009, 202nd in the world (2019).<ref name=CIAWFB-Greenland/>

All telephone numbers have 6 digits.

There are adequate domestic and international telephone services, provided by cables and [[microwave radio relay]]. The system was totally digitized in 1995. The [[Greenland Connect]] submarine cable provides connectivity to [[Europe]] via [[Iceland]] and to [[North America]] via [[Newfoundland]].<ref>[http://www.telepost.gl/en/om-tele-post/teleinfrastruktur/the-marine-cable "The marine cable: Greenland Connect"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109054351/http://www.telepost.gl/en/om-tele-post/teleinfrastruktur/the-marine-cable |date=9 January 2014 }}, TELE Greenland. Retrieved 8 January 2014.</ref> TELE Greenland first used satellite communication in 1978 and currently uses 15 [[satellite]] earth stations (12 [[Intelsat]], 1 [[Eutelsat]], and 2 Americom GE-2), all over the [[Atlantic Ocean]].<ref name=CIAWFB-Greenland/>

===Mobile===
As of 2019 there were 66,009 active mobile telephony subscriptions in use in Greenland. In 2007, all [[Nordic Mobile Telephone|NMT]] ([[1G]]) networks were shut down. 4G launched in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegeography.com/products/commsupdate/articles/2014/09/30/tele-greenland-opens-4g-network-to-smartphone-users/|title=TELE Greenland opens 4G network to smartphone users|last=TeleGeography|website=www.telegeography.com|access-date=25 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304061906/https://www.telegeography.com/products/commsupdate/articles/2014/09/30/tele-greenland-opens-4g-network-to-smartphone-users/|archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>

Mobile coverage extends to nearly all inhabited areas in Greenland except some remote areas.

In Greenland, [[VHF]] radio-telephone is also used. Users make calls over a radio instead of a phone. Outside of Greenland, VHF phones are mainly used on ships, but in Greenland they can also be used as regular phones. In 2001, 42% of Greenlanders owned a portable VHF phone.

On September 30, 2022, [[Tusass A/S|Tele Greenland]] has collaborated with Swedish Telecommunications provider [[Ericsson]] in building a [[5G]] network in Greenland.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pengrattana |first=Kanlayakorn |date=2022-10-01 |title=Tusass and Ericsson connect Greenland with 5G |url=https://scandasia.com/tusass-and-ericsson-connect-greenland-with-5g/ |access-date=2022-12-09 |website=Scandasia |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Internet==
* Greenland has only one major [[Internet Service Provider]] (ISP): [[Tele Greenland]] (Tele Post Greenland A/S).
* Greenland has only one major [[data center]]: Owned by Tele Greenland in Nuuk.
* The [[country code]] for [[top-level domain]]s is [[.gl]]<ref name=CIAWFB-Greenland/> 
* 40,084 people or 64.48% of Greenland's population were able to use the Internet in 2019, placing Greenland 201st in the world.<ref name="CIAWFB-Greenland" />
* There were 13,192 fixed broadband subscriptions placing Greenland 164th in the world with a 23% penetration rate (2019).<ref name="CIAWFB-Greenland" />
* Greenland has been allocated 16,384 [[IPv4]] addresses, less than 0.05% of the world's total or 284 addresses per 1000 people (2012).<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>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2119.html Population] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625144812/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2119.html |date=25 June 2014 }}, [[The World Factbook]], [[United States]] [[Central Intelligence Agency]]. Accessed on 2 April 2012. Note: Data are mostly for 1 July 2012.</ref>
* Internet and telephone services rely on the [[Greenland Connect]] [[submarine communications cables]] for external traffic.

===Internet censorship and surveillance===
{{Further |Internet censorship in Denmark}}

As a territory of the [[Kingdom of Denmark]], Greenland has a democratically elected [[home-rule]] government whose powers may encompass all matters except foreign and national security affairs, police services, and monetary matters. Greenlanders have the same rights throughout the kingdom as other citizens.<ref name=USDOS-Denmark-2012>[https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2012&dlid=204279 "Denmark"], ''Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012'', Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 22 March 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2014.</ref>

The Danish government places no restrictions on access to the Internet and there are no credible reports that [[e-mail]] or Internet [[chat rooms]] are monitored without appropriate legal authority. Authorities continue to employ an Internet filter designed to block [[child pornography]]. In no known cases did the filter affect legitimate sites. The [[Constitution of Denmark|Danish Constitution]] provides for [[freedom of speech]] and [[Freedom of the press|press]] with some limitations such as cases involving child pornography, [[libel]], [[blasphemy]], [[hate speech]], and [[racism]], and the government generally respects these rights in practice.<ref name=USDOS-Denmark-2012/>

In April 2013, the registrar for the .gl domain unilaterally voluntarily suspended resolution of [https://web.archive.org/web/20130410160045/http://thepiratebay.gl/ thepiratebay.gl], intended to be a new primary [[Domain Name]] for the famous [[Bittorrent]] search engine [[The Pirate Bay]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://torrentfreak.com/new-pirate-bay-greenland-domains-about-to-be-seized-130410 |title=New Pirate Bay Greenland Domains (About to be) Seized |publisher=TorrentFreak |date=10 April 2013 |access-date=13 May 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430212352/http://torrentfreak.com/new-pirate-bay-greenland-domains-about-to-be-seized-130410/ |archive-date=30 April 2013  }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

* {{CIA World Factbook |year=2013}}
* {{US DOS |year=2012}}

==External links==
* [http://www.tele.gl/ TELE Greenland]
* [http://www.knr.gl/en KNR], Greenlandic Broadcasting Corporation.
* [http://www.gtv.gl/ Greenland Television]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060621035925/http://www.sttk.gl/gl/medltv.asp STTK]

{{Clear}}
{{Telecommunications in Greenland}}
{{Europe topic|Telecommunications in}}
{{Americas topic|Telecommunications in}}
{{Telecommunications}}
{{Internet censorship by country}}
{{Greenland topics}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Telecommunications In Greenland}}
[[Category:Telecommunications in Greenland|Telecommunications in Greenland]]
[[Category:Internet in North America]]
[[Category:Internet censorship in North America]]