Find Telecommunication expertise in Cyprus

The telecommunication sector in Cyprus has been experiencing moderate growth since the turn of the century. These may have been brought about in part by the implementation of the Cyta fibre optic cable in 2012. In 2008 the telecommunications sector in Cyprus contributed 5.8% towards GDP, a significant increase form 3.3% the previous year (Econstats, 2008). The total labour force employed by the telecommunications sector was 3,021 in 2008, a significant increase from 2,403 at the beginning of the 21stcentury.

The partially state-owned company Cyta provides the majority of telecommunication services in Cyprus. Cyta was established to develop and maintain an all-inclusive telecommunications service for the Cypriot nation as well as the international market. Indeed Cyta has been responsible for developing a submarine fibre optic cable linking Cyprus with surrounding countries including Lebanon. Since its initial conception under the name of Cyprus Inland Telecommunications Authority (C.I.T.A.) in 1955 Cyta has continued to be leading provider of integrated electronic communications services in Cyprus.

The partial liberalisation of the sector means that a few other private companies have a presence within the marketplace.  Cytamobile and MTN Cyprus provide mobile cellular service and have roaming agreements with most international phone companies. Internet is widely available in the country, internet service providers available include: Cytanet, Cablenet, PrimeTel, Netway and Logosnet.

The official regulatory body for the telecommunications sector in Cyprus is the Office of Electronic Communications & Postal Regulation (OCECPR).

According to the European Union’s Survey of Schools ICT in Education report on Cyprus there are significant national strategies in place in Cyprus covering training in the areas of ICT in schools.  There are central ICT learning objectives at both primary and secondary level for using a computer, using office applications, and searching for information. In primary and secondary schools ICT is taught as a separate subject, as well as being included as a key element of the curriculum of other subjects.

The World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report reported moderate numbers of mobile phone subscriptions in Cyprus compared to other developed countries; in 2014 there were 963 mobile telephone subscriptions for every 1,000 people in the country. Fixed telephone landlines in the country are fairly high compared to the rest of the world, with 284 fixed telephone lines per 1,000 people for the same year. Internet usage in Cyprus is high by world standards, with results for 2014 showing 693 internet users per 1,000 people.  Broadband internet subscriptions in the country are also fairly high; there were 19.2 broadband internet subscriptions, and 33.8 mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 people in 2013. The international internet bandwidth speed in Canada is fast by world standards, in 2013 the average internet speed was 69.7 Kbps per internet user, giving Cyprus a rating of 32 out of 148 countries included in the WEF Report (WEF, 2013).