All telecommunications were interrupted in Sudan, the Saudi-owned Dubai-based al-Hadath television channel said on Tuesday, a day after the country’s military seized power in a coup. sudan telecommunications

There was no official confirmation of the communications interruption. Internet and phone services inside the country were severely limited, according to activists.

Life is at a standstill in the capital Khartoum, where shops and services are closed and some roads are still blocked by the military after a mostly quiet night.

In Sudan, as in so many other non-Western countries, internet access is mobile. Without smartphones — or their more limited cousin, the “feature phone” — there is effectively no internet. During each of Sudan’s shutdowns — Bashir’s social media blocks and the June blackout — data leaked through.

Approximately 12 million out of 45 million people in Sudan use the Internet, mainly on smartphones and mobile computers.

Sudan operators are: zain, MTN and Sudani One.

Sudan makes up the northern part of a country which in 2011 was separated to form the new state of South Sudan. Three quarters of the former population live in the north, where mobile market penetration is far higher. The country has a relatively well-equipped telecommunications infrastructure by regional standards, including a national fibre optic backbone and international fibre connections.

In common with a few countries in Africa, including neighbouring Ethiopia, Sudan is developing space technologies in a bid to support economic growth and improve the capabilities of its military and agricultural sectors. A Chinese built satellite was launched (from China) in November 2019. sudan telecommunications

The economy has performed poorly in recent years, with hyperinflation resulting from the effects of having lost much of its oil reserves to South Sudan and to domestic volatility and social unrest. The country remains subject to United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions which include (inter alia) an arms embargo, travel bans, and a freeze on certain assets.

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