|
Nigeria Communications
Already one of the best in sub-Saharan Africa, the
domestic
telecommunication system was undergoing a major expansion
in
1990. At the end of the 1980s, there were about 155,000
telephones in Nigeria. About one-third of them were in the
capital. A domestic satellite system with nineteen ground
stations, along with coaxial cable and a microwave
network,
linked all major urban areas. Most localities could
receive at
least one of the sixty-five amplitude modulation (AM)
radio
stations. More than a dozen cities had frequency
modulation (FM)
radio stations. Shortwave broadcasts from six transmitters
were
directed at remote rural areas; broadcasts were in
English,
Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, and twelve other languages. Most
urban areas
also had television service. In 1990 the country had an
estimated
10 million radios and 10 million televisions.
International telecommunications were modern and
provided
high-quality links to the rest of the world. In
coordination with
International Telecommunications Satellite Corporation
(Intelsat)
Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean satellites, three ground
stations
made live television broadcasts; and direct telephone
dialing was
possible between Nigeria and the rest of the world. Lagos
was the
terminus of an undersea coaxial cable linking the West
African
countries with France and capable of carrying 960
simultaneous
long-distance telephone calls.
Data as of June 1991
|
