Editing Telecommunications in Mauritius

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Telecommunications had an early beginning in Mauritius, with the first telephone line installed in 1883, seven years after the invention of the telephone. Over the years, the network and telephony improved. By the late 20th century, the rapid development and convergence of [[Information and communications technology|information and telecommunications technologies]] gave rise to an ICT industry on the island along with many incentives provided by the government. The government thus aims to make the ICT sector the 5th pillar of the Mauritian economy and Mauritius a Cyber Island.<ref>{{cite web|title=Development of ICT in Mauritius|url=http://www.gov.mu/portal/site/telcomit/menuitem.724316eaddce37830fa5cc10a0208a0c/|publisher=Ministry of Information and Communication Technology|access-date=3 September 2011}}</ref> Historically, the country is known for tourism, rather than its call centers and business process outsourcing.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.networkworld.com/article/832701/software-business-process-outsourcing-slow-for-mauritius.html|title=Business process outsourcing slow for Mauritius|first=John|last=Yarney|website=Networkworld.com|date=3 October 2006 |access-date=2017-08-27}}</ref>

==History==
In 1883, basic telephony was introduced in [[Mauritius]], only seven years after the invention of the telephone. The first telephone line was set up between the Colony Governor's residence in Reduit and Government House in [[Port Louis]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.icta.mu/documents/publications/ictview.pdf|title=ICT SEctor in Mauritius|website=Icta.mu|access-date=2017-08-27}}</ref> The telephone network was maintained by the ''Electricity and Telephone Department'' till 1956. From that date, the telecommunications department took that responsibility.<ref name="AN-2010-120"/>

In 1893, Mauritius was linked to Seychelles (then part of Mauritius) and Zanzibar via a submarine telegraphic cable followed by Rodrigues in 1901 by the Eastern and South African Telegraph Company.<ref name="AN-2010-120">{{cite book|last=Nagapen|first=Amédée|title=Histoire de la Colonie: Isle de France - Ile Maurice (1721-1968)|year=2010|publisher=Editions de L'Océan Indien|isbn=978-99903-0-619-4|pages=120}}</ref> The transmission rate of the telegraphic service was 15 words per minute, a historical revolution in those days.

Before the independence of the country and till 1985, international communications were managed by ''[[Cable & Wireless plc|Cable & Wireless]]'', a private British company. From 1985, ''Overseas Telecommunications Services'', which subsequently became ''[[Mauritius Telecom|Mauritius Telecom Limited]]'' took over.<ref name="AN-2010-120"/>

The Central Information Systems Division (CISD), formerly known as Data Processing Division (DPD), was created in 1971. The CISD nowadays is responsible for government payroll IT systems, government email, maintenance of all government/departmental websites and technical support.<ref>{{cite web|title=Central Information Systems Division - About Us|url=http://www.gov.mu/portal/site/cisd/menuitem.ea557b27bae9f94da3347524e2b521ca/|website=Gov.mu|access-date=3 September 2011}}</ref>

In 1987, a second standard B earth station and a domestic satellite network were installed with Rodrigues and the Outer Islands. That same year, an [[X.25]] Packet Switched data exchange was also installed.<ref name=ICT-View-2004>{{cite web|title=The ICT Sector in Mauritius - An Overview|url=http://www.gov.mu/portal/goc/ncb/file/ictview.pdf|publisher=Information & Communication Technologies Authority|access-date=3 September 2011}}</ref>

In July 1988, the state-owned Department of Telecommunications was privatised to become the Mauritius Telecommunications Services (MTS). With privatisation, national and international activities were merged to form [[Mauritius Telecom|Mauritius Telecom Ltd]].<ref name=ICT-View-2004/>

The 1988 Telecommunications Act established the legal framework to cater for telecom services in a state-owned monopoly.<ref name=ICT-View-2004/>

The National Computer Board (NCB) was also set up in 1988 by the National Board Act (No 43) to advise the Government on the formulation of national policies for the development of the IT sector and promote an IT culture in the country.<ref>{{cite web|title=About the National Computer Board|url=http://www.gov.mu/portal/site/ncbnew/menuitem.e6c78af276b0a4c9fff04a10a0208a0c/|publisher=National Computer Board|access-date=3 September 2011}}</ref>

In 1989, the Central Informatics Bureau (CIB) was created whose main functions were to plan and coordinate computerization within the Civil Service.<ref>{{cite web|title=About Central Informatics Bureau (CIB)|url=http://www.gov.mu/portal/site/cib/menuitem.824bc4e423f863b42cc8591069c521ca/|publisher=Central Informatics Bureau|access-date=3 September 2011}}</ref>

The State Informatics Limited was also set up in 1989 initially to help in the computerization of the Civil Service.<ref name=ICT-View-2004/>

in 1992, the Prime Minister of Mauritius said that he was firmly opposed to opening the hertzian waves to foreign television, and that his government "would not accord this liberty to foreigners".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.africaintelligence.com/|title=Africa Intelligence: exclusive news on Africa|website=Africa Intelligence|access-date=2017-08-27}}</ref>

By 1997, the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications was created to formulate and implement policies regarding the development of the ICT sector. The CISD and CIB became departments within this new ministry.<ref name=ICT-View-2004/>

However, following the [[General Agreement on Trade in Services]] (GATS) at the WTO, the 1988 Telecommunications Act was replaced with by the Telecommunications Act of 1998 which provided the legal framework to enable the emergence of a free and democratised telecommunications market on the island. This act also created the Mauritius Telecommunications Authority (MTA) as a regulatory body for the telecommunications sector.<ref name=ICT-View-2004/>

With the development of Information and Communications Technologies, the Telecommunications Act of 1998 was replaced by the Information and Communication Technologies Act of 2001. The MTA was subsequently replaced by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA).<ref name=ICT-View-2004/> In 2007, the [[Information and Communication Technologies Authority (Mauritius)|Information and Communication Technologies Authority]] directed internet service providers to block access to Facebook.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lexpress.mu/article/trilock-dwarka-pourquoi-licta-bloqu%C3%A9-%C2%ABfacebook%C2%BB|title=Trilock Dwarka : pourquoi l?ICTA a bloqué "Facebook"|date=13 November 2007|website=Lexpress.mu|access-date=2017-08-27}}</ref> In 2009, the [[Information and Communication Technologies Authority (Mauritius)|Information and Communication Technologies Authority]] rejected an application from Outremer Telecom for a cellular telephony licence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lexpress.mu/article/288362/eclairage-mais-quoi-donc-sert-licta|title=Éclairage : Mais à quoi donc sert l'ICTA ?|first=Florian|last=Lepoigneur|date=28 August 2016|website=Lexpress.mu|access-date=2017-08-27}}</ref> In 2014, the Commercial Division of the Supreme Court ordered Data Communication Ltd to pay to the [[Information and Communication Technologies Authority (Mauritius)|Information and Communication Technologies Authority]] the sum of Rs 20,672,135.80 inclusive of surcharges for late payment, with costs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.defimedia.info/news-sunday/court-news/item/52371-dcl-to-pay-icta-rs-20-million.html |title=DCL to pay ICTA Rs 20 million &#124; Defimedia.info |access-date=2016-09-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140905015349/http://www.defimedia.info/news-sunday/court-news/item/52371-dcl-to-pay-icta-rs-20-million.html |archive-date=5 September 2014 }}</ref>

==General statistics==
{{CIA}}

'''Telephones - main lines in use:'''
372,200 (2014)

'''Telephones - mobile cellular:'''
1,652,000 (2014)

'''Telephone system:'''
small system with good service
<br>''domestic:''
primarily microwave radio relay trunk system
<br>''international:''
country code - 230; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); new microwave link to Reunion; HF radiotelephone links to several countries; fiber optic submarine cable ([[SAT-3/WASC (cable system)|SAT-3/WASC]]/[[SAFE (cable system)|SAFE]]) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia

'''Radio broadcast stations:'''
AM 4, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2002)

'''Radios:'''
420,000 (1997)

'''Television broadcast stations:'''
2 (plus several repeaters) (1997)

'''Televisions:'''
258,000 (1997)

'''Internet Service Providers (ISPs):'''
14 (2014)

'''Internet users:'''
735,400 (2014)  <ref>{{cite web|title=Monitoring African Sovereign Risk|url=http://www.kpmg.com/Africa/en/KPMG-in-Africa/Documents/2013%20Q3%20Snapshots/KPMG_Mauritius%202013Q3.pdf|publisher=KPMG|access-date=16 March 2015}}</ref>

'''[[Country code]] (Top level domain):''' [[.mu|MU]]

== Television ==
Television broadcast stations: Only one state-controlled station, [[Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation]], as the government refuses to issue licences to domestic broadcasters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lexpress.mu/article/281275/tele-privee-largent-brouille-signal|title=Télé privée: l'argent brouille le signal|first=Patrick St|last=Pierre|date=8 May 2016|website=Lexpress.mu|access-date=2017-08-27}}</ref>

==Internet==
[[Mauritius]] has several operators like [[Mauritius Telecom]], [[Mahanagar Telephone Mauritius Limited (MTML)]] & [[Emtel]]. Each operator uses a different technology to provide Internet access. MTML uses [[CDMA2000]] and Emtel uses [[High-Speed Downlink Packet Access|HSDPA]] (3.5G).
The monopoly is retained by [[Mauritius Telecom]] (MT) which provides dial-up & [[Asymmetric digital subscriber line|ADSL]] services over existing telephone lines.

===Internet censorship and surveillance===
In 2007, the government took down Facebook for a day.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/worldhaveyoursay/2007/11/prince_and_free_speech.html|title=BBC - World Service - World Have Your Say: PRINCE AND FREE SPEECH|first=Iain|last=Croft|publisher=BBC|access-date=2017-08-27}}</ref> There is a National Cyber Security Strategy for the government to set up a comprehensive framework to monitor Internet traffic which might be harmful to the nation and society.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mtci.govmu.org/English/Documents/Final%20National%20Cyber%20Security%20Strategy%20November%202014.pdf|title=National Cyber Security Strategy|website=Mtci.govmu.org|access-date=2017-08-27}}</ref> in 2016, a couple was arrested after sharing a post about the Minister of Housing and Lands on Facebook.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lexpress.mu/article/275235/deux-internautes-arretes-suite-dune-plainte-soodhun|title=Deux internautes arrêtés à la suite d'une plainte de Soodhun|date=4 February 2016|website=Lexpress.mu|access-date=2017-08-27}}</ref> In September 2016, the Internet filtering and Public Key Infrastructure servers operated by the [[Information and Communication Technologies Authority (Mauritius)|Information and Communication Technologies Authority]] were seized by the National Security Service.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://defimedia.info/polemique-des-serveurs-saisis-licta-destines-aux-ecoutes|title=Polémique : des serveurs saisis à l'Icta destinés aux écoutes ?|date=13 September 2016|website=Defmedia.info|access-date=2017-08-27}}</ref>

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.gov.mu/portal/goc/ncb/file/ictview.pdf ICT sector in Mauritius]
* [http://www.icta.mu/icta/home/ Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICT Authority)] - The Authority is the national regulator for the ICT sector and Postal Services in Mauritius

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[[Category:Telecommunications in Mauritius| ]]
[[Category:Communications in Mauritius| ]]
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