Afghanistan Internet Service Providers - Improved Communication

With Afghanistan users just more than that of Panama, the country has still a long way to go before all the users will have Internet access. As such the Afghanistan Internet Service Providers have their work cut out for them.

That being said, the number of Afghanistan Internet Service Providers has increased from only five in 2002 to 22 in 2007. This trend can be attributed to changes in government policy regarding Internet access, the privatisation of the telecommunication infrastructure, and an increase in Wireless Service Providers as well as the commitment of Afghanistan Internet Service Providers to make the Internet more accessible, cheaper, and faster.

In 2007, names such as Etisalat, Areeba, and Ts2 also entered the telecommunication market in addition to Roshan and Afghan Wireless. The Afghanistan government also did its part in improving telecommunications and Internet accessibility by investing large numbers in the setting up of a fibre optical cable network throughout the country.

The main Afghanistan Internet Service Providers include names such as NEDA, GTSC, Bentley Walker, WafaNet, and Insta Telecom. One can expect more Afghanistan Internet Service Providers to join the top list as more subscribers are added to their lists.

According to the CIA World Factbook dated November 2010 the number of Internet users in the country increased from a mere 1000 in 2004 to half a million in 2010.  Considering that it is still an exceptionally small proportion of the population, the Afghanistan Internet Service Providers still have a long way to go if they want a full subscriber base.

Many of the larger ISP companies have already shown that they are not willing to wait around for subscriber numbers to pick up before they provide advanced services.  Users in Afghanistan have access to VoIP, VPN, VSAT, and WiMAX, WiFi, wireless Internet access, and Satellite Internet.