Geographic Region (ITU/UN)
ISO 3166 Code
M49 Code
MCC
ITU Member
ITU-R Region
Overview
The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming part of South Asia and Central Asia.
Recent increase in competition has boosted mobile access with 87% of Afghan homes having access to a mobile phone (94% in urban areas and 85% in rural locations). 3G mobile broadband was launched in March 2012 and uptake has been growing. Some of the operators have piloted LTE, with only AWCC having commercially launched 4G services. As of June 2017 mobile coverage reaches approximately 40% of the population, with 4G LTE limited to major urban areas only.
Afghanistan is a member of the ITU and as such follows radio frequency harmonisation principles according to ITU-R Region-3. The regulatory body governing communications policy is the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT), and the Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority (ATRA) is charged with regulating the country's radio frequency spectrum activities such as planning, allocations, and licencing.