Telecommunications in the Comoros

Telecommunications in the Comoros encompasses the infrastructure, services, and regulatory environment for telephone, internet, radio, and television communication within the Union of the Comoros, an archipelagic nation in the Indian Ocean off the eastern coast of Africa. The sector is defined by a state-owned near-monopoly in fixed-line and submarine cable operations, a mobile market undergoing gradual liberalization, low but steadily improving internet penetration, and a broadcasting landscape combining public and private outlets. Geographic dispersion across the islands of Grande Comore (Ngazidja), Anjouan (Ndzuwani), and Mohéli (Mwali), along with limited economic resources, has historically constrained network deployment, but ongoing investment in submarine fibre-optic cables and mobile broadband is progressively modernising the country’s connectivity.

History

Post-independence telecommunications in the Comoros were initially managed by a public entity that became Société Nationale des Télécommunications (Comores Telecom), created in the late 1970s. For decades, domestic and international links relied on analogue microwave relays between the islands and high-cost satellite connections for overseas traffic. Mobile telephony was introduced in the late 1990s through Comores Telecom, which launched the Huri brand. The sector remained firmly under state control, and until the early 2010s the country was one of the last in the region without direct access to global submarine fibre-optic networks, instead routing calls and data via satellite earth stations or microwave links to nearby Mayotte.

A transformative moment arrived in 2012 with the activation of the LION2 submarine cable, which landed in Moroni and provided the Comoros with its first direct fibre-optic link to global backbones via branches to Mayotte and Kenya. This ended the nation’s total dependence on satellite for international bandwidth, sharply reducing costs and latency. Since then, efforts have concentrated on expanding domestic backbone connectivity and modernising the access network, with additional international capacity being secured through later cable systems.

Infrastructure

The national telecommunications backbone interconnects the three main islands through a combination of microwave links and the Comoros Domestic Submarine Cable system, a fibre-optic ring deployed to bring high-speed connectivity to Anjouan and Mohéli. The international gateway is centred on Moroni, where the LION2 cable lands and is operated by Comores Telecom. A second international submarine cable branch, part of the SEAS (South East Asia System) project, was activated in 2021, providing further redundancy and bandwidth for the operator and its wholesale customers.

On the access-network level, Comores Telecom maintains a traditional copper-wire network for fixed-line services that is limited in reach and mainly concentrated in urban areas. Mobile network infrastructure, by contrast, covers a far larger portion of the population, with 2G, 3G, and 4G LTE base stations deployed across all three islands. The rollout of 4G, which began in 2017, has improved data speeds, although coverage remains uneven outside the main towns. The geography of the archipelago, with its mountainous terrain and scattered population, continues to pose challenges for extending last-mile connectivity, and many rural areas still rely on mobile networks as the only available communication means.

Telephone

Fixed-line

Fixed-line telephony in the Comoros remains a low-density service provided exclusively by the incumbent, Comores Telecom. With fewer than 20,000 main lines in service, corresponding to a penetration rate of around 2 per 100 inhabitants, the network is overwhelmingly concentrated in government offices, businesses, and a small number of urban households. The operator has maintained the existing copper infrastructure but has shown little expansion of fixed access, directing investment primarily toward mobile and broadband platforms. As a result, national fixed-line figures have remained essentially stagnant for over a decade.

Mobile

The mobile market is the dominant mode of voice and data communication. Comores Telecom, trading under the brand Huri, is the largest provider and was for many years the sole licensed mobile operator. While the government has taken steps to introduce competition—most notably by granting a second mobile licence in the 2010s—the market has been slow to see a significant second entrant, and Huri remains the primary service for the vast majority of subscribers. Mobile subscriptions surpassed 500,000 in the early 2020s, reaching a penetration rate significantly above 50%, driven by the availability of low-cost handsets and prepaid plans. Mobile money services, such as Huri Money, have also been rolled out to facilitate payments and financial inclusion.

Internet

Internet connectivity has advanced appreciably since the activation of the LION2 cable, but overall usage levels remain modest by global standards. Internet penetration is estimated at around 10–15 per cent of the population, reflecting constraints of affordability, limited fixed broadband infrastructure, and low computer ownership. Most internet access takes place via mobile devices using 3G and 4G data plans.

Fixed broadband services are offered by Comores Telecom through ADSL lines in areas where the copper network permits, as well as through fibre-to-the-home packages that are being slowly extended in Moroni and other main urban centres. Public and private initiatives, including cybercafés and community telecentres, contribute to access for users who lack a personal connection. The top-level domain for the Comoros is .km, managed by Comores Telecom, and the country has a modest number of registered domains and locally hosted websites.

In recent years, internet speeds and reliability have improved due to the additional international capacity provided by the SEAS cable, but tariffs remain relatively high compared to neighbouring island states, and the domestic distribution network continues to be a bottleneck. Government strategies and regulatory undertakings aim to widen broadband availability, especially in underserved rural zones and on the smaller islands.

Radio and television

Broadcasting in the Comoros is a mix of state-run and private operators. The national public broadcaster, Office de Radio et Télévision des Comores (ORTC), operates the flagship radio station Radio Comores and the nationwide television channel Télévision Nationale Comorienne. Radio Comores broadcasts in French, Comorian, and Arabic, serving as a primary source of news and information, especially in regions where television or internet access is limited.

Alongside the public channels, a number of private and community radio stations have emerged, particularly in Moroni, offering local news, music, and religious programming. The television market includes private channels such as Mjiva TV, which distribute content via terrestrial transmitters and satellite. Satellite television, predominantly through platforms like Canal+ and free-to-air channels, is a common means of accessing international content, though adoption is constrained by equipment costs. Regulatory oversight of the broadcast spectrum falls under the same authority that governs telecommunications.

Regulation

The telecommunications and ICT sector is regulated by the Autorité Nationale de Régulation des Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication (ANRTIC). Established to promote competition, manage the radio frequency spectrum, and protect consumer interests, ANRTIC grants licences, sets quality-of-service benchmarks, and oversees interconnection agreements. In principle, the regulatory framework provides for a liberalised market, but in practice the dominance of Comores Telecom—in which the state holds the controlling stake—has meant that regulatory decisions often intersect with broader public policy goals of universal service and national development. The government’s roadmap for the digital economy includes plans to extend mobile broadband coverage, introduce e-government services, and support digital literacy programmes, with ANRTIC playing a coordinating role in implementation.

See also

• Economy of the Comoros
• Comores Telecom
• Internet in Africa
• Telecommunications in Mayotte