The Swaziland
Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (STPC)
provides analog and digital data lines up to 64 Kbps to the 2 commercial ISPs and to the
University of Swaziland.
UUNET
Swaziland, a local company, was the first ISP in the
country, connecting Mbabane to UUNET Internet Africa's backbone in Johannesburg since
1996. It later changed into Internet Africa. A second POP is operated in
Manzini. UUNET operates two Internet Cafes in Mbabane and Manzini together with the
nationl Telecom, SPTC. Plans are underway to open a new one in Matsapha.
The first Internet Cafe
was Officially opened in February 1998 in Manzini. Situated in the Post Office, it is
linked to UUNET's global network via Internet Africa's point of presence (POP) in Mbabane.
The services in the Internet Cafe have been upgraded to include additional eight telephone
lines to the current two, and a full secretarial service including fax, photocopying and
typing.
Subsequently, Real Image Internet has
established full Internet services. Real Image Internet started its operation in 1996.
Based in an architecture bureau in Mbabane, they offer full Internet access via M-Net, the
successor of the CompuServe/WorldNet gateway in Pretoria. They also operate two Internet
Cafes in Mbabane and Manzini. The third ISP is Afrca Online.
The Sixth
All Africa Telecommunications, Informatics and Broadcasting Conference was held in
Swaziland in May 1997. A CyberCafe was established to allow participants and visitors to
be exposed to the new information and communication technologies, namely electronic
messaging and browsing through Internet. The wireless Internet link was organised by AFCOM
with Transtel, South Africa, for a 256 Kbps direct satellite connection to the
backbone of the Internet in the United States. Twenty-five computers, a courtesy of ACER,
were installed and networked by Swaziland Computer Services. The rest
of the Computers were provided by Real Image Internet connected to the Internet via
64 Kbps wire lines from Swaziland Posts and Telecoms.
Both ISPs have similar
Internet services tariffs: Internet (unlimited) US$ 18.00 per month + US$ 10.00
(sign-up)
Internet host sites:
739 (2000)
Internet subscribers
(1999)
- Total: 900
- Internet subscribers per 10,000
inhabitants: 9.65
Internet Users (1999)
Total: 3,000
Users per 10,000
inhabitants: 30.62
Internet use by categories:
Commercial:
Academic:
Research:
NGO/UN/International:
Government:
Others:
