Information communication technologies (ICT) in Mongolia face unique challenges. Because Mongolia is sparsely populated and a significant portion of the population still lives a nomadic lifestyle, it has been difficult for many traditional ICTs to make headway into Mongolian society. Wireless technologies have had greater success and mobile phones are becoming increasingly common, even in rural areas. Wireless local loop is another technology that has helped Mongolia increase accessibility to telecommunications and bypass fixed-line infrastructure. Other problems relating to the ICT infrastructure include poverty and the fact that Mongolia is a landlocked country. Mongolia relies on fiber optic communications with its Chinese and Russian neighbors and a significant portion of the population is still too poor to afford mobile phones.
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As of 2004[update], there are 404,400 main lines in use. The International Dialling Code is +976. The Mongolia Telecom Company is the national telecommunications company.[1]
Telephone system:
There are two landline telephone companies in Mongolia: Mongolia Telecom Company (MTC) and the Mongolian Railway Authority. MTC is a joint venture with Korea Telecom and partially publicly owned. MTC leases fiber-optic lines from the Mongolian Railway Authority and connects to all aimags and soums. There are over 175,000 fixed-line phones in Mongolia, though this number is slowly decreasing. The majority of MTC subscribers are in Ulaanbataar.[3]
Mobile phones are very popular in the city as well as the countryside. Especially in the countryside, the government is preferring the installation of cell phone base stations over laying land lines, as cell phone base stations are easier to install. Mongolia's Communication Authority has announced a plan to connect all sum center and a number of other settlements to cell phone services.[4]
Mobile Operators:
Mobile Users: Mobicom: 1,050,000 Skytel: 255,000 Unitel: 375,000 G-Mobile: 175,000 (2009).
In end of 2009, the total number of mobile users was estimated at 1,850,000.
In order to overcome issues relating to distance and lack of traditional infrastructure in telecommunications Mongolia has utilized wireless local loop (WLL) technology. It provides phone service resembling that of landlines, but uses technology similar to mobile phones. There are currently five licensed WLL providers, though there only appear to be three companies actually offering service.
Ulaanbaatar has 20 FM stations, including foreign radio stations BBC World Service, VOA, and Inner Mongolian Radio. In the whole country there are 5 longwave broadcasting stations, the most powerful at Ulaanbaatar with 1000 KW.
As of 1997[update], there are 360,000 radios.
Mongolian TV Broadcasting started on September 27, 1967 with the start of Mongolian National Television.
DDishTV LLC broadcasts major mongolian channels and some international channels throughout whole Mongolia and other Asian countries via Ku-Band Satellite. For that service it is necessary to have a dish and special box. They provide also VSAT Internet connections especially in rural area of Mongolia.
Internet Usage has grown rapidly in the last few years. In 2000, there were 30,000 users, but as of 2007[update] there are more than 268,300[8] The country Top level domain of Mongolia is .mn
Dial-Up is still the main system, although Wireless and Broadband Internet are recently being introduced.
Mongolia is the most sparsely populated independent country in the world.[9]
Citizens Information Service Centers (CISC) have been established in Ulaanbataar and six Aimags that are equipped to allow nomadic rural populations to receive internet access.[10]
Many libraries and schools provide internet access, including some mobile providers that travel between rural populations.
The Asian Development Bank has an initiative to develop ICT technologies to "boost access to high-quality education for disadvantaged and remote populations in Mongolia, through a grant assistance approved for US$1 million."[11] The goal is to take advantage of newer technologies to improve access to information for about 10,000 students at 36 schools.