Home

European Union vs. Albania

Telecommunications

European UnionAlbania
Telephones - main lines in usetotal subscriptions: 165,475,641

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 36.78 (2019 est.)
total subscriptions: 242,859

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 7.9 (2019 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellulartotal subscriptions: 529,497,242

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 117.70 (2019 est.)
total subscriptions: 2,630,076

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 85.59 (2019 est.)
Internet country code.eu; note - see country entries of member states for individual country codes.al
Internet userstotal: 398.1 million (2018 est.)

percent of population: 85%
total: 2,196,613

percent of population: 71.85% (July 2018 est.)
Telecommunication systemsnote - see individual country entries of member statesgeneral assessment:

Albania's small telecom market has improved through signatory status of EU accession plan; EU financial aid will build infrastructure and enhance cooperation; operator committed _100 million to upgrade fixed-line infrastructure, supporting broadband services nationally; consistent with the region, fixed-line telephony use and penetration is declining as subscribers prefer mobile solutions; mobile sector is supported through LTE networks; operators have invested in 5G, including the intention to create a corridor with Kosovo; importer of broadcasting equipment from EU neighbors (2021)

(2020)

domestic: fixed-line 8 per 100, teledensity continues to decline due to heavy use of mobile-cellular telephone services; mobile-cellular telephone use is widespread and generally effective, 91 per 100 for mobile-cellular (2019)

international: country code - 355; submarine cables for the Adria 1 and Italy-Albania provide connectivity to Italy, Croatia, and Greece; a combination submarine cable and land fiber-optic system, provides additional connectivity to Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Turkey; international traffic carried by fiber-optic cable and, when necessary, by microwave radio relay from the Tirana exchange to Italy and Greece (2019)

note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments

Broadband - fixed subscriptionstotal: 158,303,562

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 35.19 (2019 est.)
total: 436,192

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 14.19 (2019 est.)

Source: CIA Factbook