Telecommunication
Infrastructure | Informatics | ICT Training and Development |
Broadcasting/Media
Telecommunication Infrastructure
Responsible
Ministry: Ministère de
l'intérieur, des postes et télécommunications
Government
body responsible for ICTs: Secrétaire d'Etat auprès du Premier Ministre
Chargée du Développement de l'Utilisation de l'Informatique, Mme Fatimetou Mint Mohamed
Saleck.
The Office des Postes et
Telecommunications (OPT) is the
state-owned public operator of telecommunications services in Mauritania.
The status of OPT changed in April 1997 from a public industrial and commercial
establishment to a national company. This status provided the company with greater
management autonomy, although the state remains the sole shareholder. OPT is responsible
to the Ministere de l'Intèrieur, des Postes et Télécommunications. In March 1998,
the government adopted a policy reform to restructure the posts and telecommunications
sector. The reform envisaged the separation of postal and telecommunication services, the
establishment of an independent regulatory authority, and the liberalisation of the
telecommunications sector.
Teledensity:
- Total: 0.64
(1999)
- Largest cities:
1.75 (1999)
- Rest of the country:
0.23 (1999)
Digital main lines: 100%
(1999)
Waiting list for a telephone
line:
- Total: 47,800
(1999)
- Average waiting time:
>10 years (1999)
- Total demand (k):
64.3 (1999)
- Satisfied demand (%):
25.7 (1999)
Telephone Tariff (US$
1.00 = MU 210.07 as of August 1999):
| PSTN connection
charge |
UM 16,000 |
US$ 74.71 |
| Guarantee
deposits - residential |
UM 28,000 |
US$ 130.74 |
| Guarantee
deposits - business |
UM 56,000 |
US$ 261.47 |
| PSTN monthly
subscription |
|
US$ 7.90 |
| PSTN three
minutes local call |
|
US$ 0.10 |
Source:
Office
des Postes et Telecommunications (OPT)
Public telephones: 890
(1999)
Public telephones per 1000
inhabitants: 0.35 (1999)
Mobile cellular subscribers:
na
Cellular susbcribers as a %
of total telephone subscribers: na
Mobile cellular tariff: na
Telecommunications revenue (M
US$): 28.6 (1999)
Telecommunications investment (M
US$): 4.1 (1999)
Telecommunications ibvestment as
a % of revenue: 14.3 (1999)
Telecom equipment exports (M
US$): na
Telecom equipment imports (M
US$): na
Telecentres: na
Facsimiles: 4,300
(1998)
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Informatics
The Faculté
des Sciences et Techniques of the University of Nouakchott is the leading networking institution in Mauritania. Formerly known
as Institut Supérieur Scientifique (ISS) before it integrated into the University, the
faculty is the Internet Service Provider for the academic and research sector, and it is
also the Top Level Domain (TLD) administrator for ".mr".
The Faculty has
recently launched a project entitled "Projet accès à l'Information
Scientifique et Technique et sa diffusion en Mauritanie (PIST)". The
project will be using information and communication technologies to compile and
disseminate scientific and technical information on Mauritania. At the initial stage,
focus is to be made on the collection of information on desert control, water resources
and environment, mining resources and fisheries.
Six colleges and high schools
(lycées) are taking part at the World Links for
Development (WorLD) programme. The programme, sponsored by the World
Bank Institute, links students and teachers in secondary schools in developing countries
with students and teachers in industrialised countries for collaborative research,
teaching and learning programmes through the Internet.
Infotel is a private company which provides a range of computer services, such as
networking and intranet design, system design and computer maintenance.
The national telecom, OPT,
maintains the Afrinet web server under the ACCT assistance programme. The server hosts the
official site of the government
of Mauritania.
The following major institutions
have been active in the collection and dissemination of information in Mauritania:
- The Centre national de
Recherches Océanographiques et en Pêche (CNROP) has a large documentation
centre, and it is collaborating with FST as part of the PIST
project;
- The Société Nationale pour
de Développement Rural (SONADER) maintains a database on rural development in
Mauritania;
- The Centre d'Information
pour le Développement Economique et Technique (CIMDET) produced an e-mail and
Internet guide with support from the Coopération Française;
- The Direction des Archives
Nationales is responsible directly to the Sécrétariat Général à la
Présidence.
Computer
per 100 inhabitants: 2.72 (1999)
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ICT
Training and Development
The Faculté des Sciences et
Techniques (FST) of the University of Nouakchott has five
departments, including the Département
de Mathématiques et Informatique (DMI). The Department provides a Master
degree in "Méthodes Informatiques Appliquées à la Gestion des Entreprises
(MIAGE)" which focuses mainly on information processing and management.
The African Virtual University (AVU) is a first-of-its-kind
interactive-instructional telecommunications network established to serve the countries of
Sub-saharan Africa (SSA). In July 1998, the necessary equipment were installed within the Faculté des Sciences et
Techniques (FST) of the University of Nouakchott by
a team of technicians from COMSAT, USA, and the AVU project became operational in Mauritania through
the transmission of a series of seminars on various topics, including information
technology and the year 2000. Training courses were also organised for teachers, students
and staff of the University, and for employees from NGOs and civil societies.
The Faculté des Sciences
et Techniques of the University
of Nouakchott and the Agence Universitaire de la
Francophonie (AUPELF-UREF) organised a training workshop on information
technologies from 26 June to 03 July 1999. The training focused on the formation of
professionals and future trainers in network and web server administration, content
development on the Internet and communication technologies.
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Broadcasting/Media
Radio Broadcasting: Radio
Mauritanie is the state-owned agency responsible for radio broadcasting.
Television Broadcasting: TV de
Mauritanie is the state-owned agency responsible for TV transmission.
Radios per
100 inhabitants: 15 (1995)
Television
receivers per 100 inhabitants: 9.6 (1999)
Pay TV
decoders: na
Cable TV
subscribers: na
Home
satellite dishes/antennas: 2,700 (1999)
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