Tuvalu Telecommunication Corporation (TTC) also known as Tuvalu Telecom is a state-owned enterprise. It is the sole provider of fixed telephone communication services, mobile services, and Internet services to the country. TTC rely solely on satellite communications. It provides fixed-line telephone communications to subscribers on each of the islands of Tuvalu. Each island in Tuvalu relies on TTC for the use of a satellite dish for inter-island telephone communication and internet access. TTC also provides mobile phone services on Funafuti, Vaitupu and Nukulaelae.
SIM cards can be obtained from the TTC office and top up vouchers for data are available at all stores. It should be noted at that at time of writing the app necessary to add additional funds to personal sim cards was only available for Android phones, not for Apple.
Mobile phones can receive but not make international calls.
Currently there are no restrictions in placed for the purchasing of sim cards but this is something that the company is considering before the rolling out of mobile money services.
For more information on telecoms contacts, please see the following link: 4.11 Additional Services Contact List
Telephone Services |
|
---|---|
Is there an existing landline telephone network? |
Yes |
Does it allow international calls? |
No |
Number and Length of Downtime Periods (on average) |
Often 6 hours |
Mobile Phone Providers |
TCC |
Approximate Percentage of National Coverage |
20% |
Telecommunications Regulations
Regulations on Usage and Import |
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---|---|---|
|
Regulations in Place? |
Regulating Authority |
Satellite |
Yes |
Government of Tuvalu (Regulator) |
HF Radio |
Yes |
Government of Tuvalu (Regulator) |
UHF/VHF/HF Radio: Handheld, Base and Mobile |
Yes |
Government of Tuvalu (Regulator) |
UHF/VHF Repeaters |
Yes |
Government of Tuvalu (Regulator) |
GPS |
Yes |
Government of Tuvalu (Regulator) |
VSAT |
Yes |
Government of Tuvalu (Regulator) |
Existing Humanitarian Telecoms Systems
There are no existing humanitarian telecoms systems.
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
Tuvalu.tv is the sole provider of Internet access in Tuvalu. Connections rely solely on satellite communications.
The ISP is operated by the ICT (Information and Communications Technology) Department of the Government of Tuvalu.
In July 2020, the Government of Tuvalu signed a five-year agreement with Kacific for 400Mbps to 600Mbps of satellite capacity. the agreement provides a comprehensive turnkey service including sixty 1.2 metre VSAT terminals (satellite dishes) for schools, medical clinics, government agencies and small businesses, forty outdoor WiFi access points to support community connectivity with WiFi hotspots, three maritime antennae to connect ferry services, and one Ka-band antennae to provide trunking and backhaul services for the mobile phone network. The network experiences regular outages that may last several hours.
Internet Service Providers |
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---|---|---|
Are there ISPs available? |
Yes |
|
If yes, are they privately or government owned? |
State owned enterprise |
|
Dial-up only? |
No |
|
Approximate Rates (local currency and USD - $) |
Dial-up |
N/A |
Broadband |
Yes |
|
Max Leasable ‘Dedicated’ Bandwidth |
$1000 per Mbps |
Mobile Network Operators (MNOs)
The state-owned Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation (TTC) is the only telecommunication provider on the islands. It provides mobile phone services on Funafuti, with expansion plans to all the remote islands.
Connectivity to network is 4G however downtime occurs regularly and may last for hours or days
For information on MNOs please visit the GSM Association website.
Company |
Number of Agent Outlets by Area |
Network Strength by Area |
Contracted for Humanitarian or Government Cash Transfer Programmes? |
Services Offered (i.e. Merchant Payment, Bulk Disbursement, Receive & Make Payment) |
---|---|---|---|---|
TCC |
1 x Funafuti |
All of Funafuti has strong coverage. Outer islands do not have coverage |
No |
N/A |