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 Internetportal |
 | This article's factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information.(March 2024) |
Internet in the Czech Republic and Internet access are largely provided by the private sector and is available in a variety of forms, using a variety of technologies, at a wide range of speeds and costs. In 2013, 68% of Czechs were connected to the Internet. [1] From 2013 to 2022, the number of Internet users in the Czech Republic increased rapidly to 91.48%.
Because ADSL was very expensive for an average worker in its early days, an enormous number of wireless ISPs (WISPs) (based on 802.11 Wi-Fi technology) came into existence offering reasonably priced monthly-plans since 2003. At the beginning of 2008, there were over 800 mostly local WISPs [7] [8] that had enormous market share of the Internet access. It is estimated Wi-Fi ISPs have about 350 000 subscribers by 2007. The Czech Republic has the most Wi-Fi subscriber in the whole European Union. [9] [10] There are both commercial and community wireless networks.
Mobile data plans are being offered by all four mobile phone operators (T-Mobile, Vodafone, O2 and Nordic Telecom). Vodafone, T-Mobile and O2 offer connection using the LTE, GPRS and EDGE technology. 5G networks are being switched on in some locations (for example in the Prague Metro). [11]
On 31 March 2021, Vodafone switched off their 3G (UMTS) network. [12] T-Mobile is planning to switch their 3G network off at the end of November 2021. [13] O2 announced a shutdown of their 3G network running from 31 May to 30 November 2021. [14]
CDMA2000 networks have been switched off already.
| Company | Plan name | Technology | Maximum download speed/(kbit/s) | Maximum upload speed/(kbit/s) | Data limit/GB | Monthly price incl. VAT/CZK | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| O2 | Data+ Modrý 2 GB | 4G LTE | ? | ? | 2/month | 199 | [15] |
| O2 | Data+ Bronzový 10 GB | 4G LTE | ? | ? | 10/month | 399 | [15] |
| O2 | Data+ Stříbrný 30 GB | 4G LTE | ? | ? | 30/month | 649 | [15] |
| Vodafone | Red Data+ 10 GB | 4G LTE | ? | ? | 10/month | 399 | [16] |
| Nordic Telecom | LTE mobilní data 4 GB | 4G LTE | 5000 | 5000 | 4/month | 295 | [17] |
| Nordic Telecom | LTE mobilní data 8 GB | 4G LTE | 5000 | 5000 | 8/month | 395 | [17] |
In the Czech Republic, ADSL became commercially available at the beginning of 2003, by then-monopoly operator Český Telecom with basic speeds from 192/64 kbit/s to 1024/256 kbit/s. The start-up of ADSL was very slow due to overpriced plans (~€350 per month for 1024/256 kbit). At the beginning of 2004, local loop unbundling began, and alternative operators started to offer ADSL (and also SDSL). This, and later privatisation of Český Telecom, helped to drive down prices. On 1 July 2006, Český Telecom was renamed to Telefónica O2 Czech Republic. As of 2009, ADSL2+ was offered in three variants, mostly without data limits (Fair User Policy - limiting link speed based on amount of transferred data). The speed varied depending on the loop length up to 20 Mbit/s.[ citation needed ]
In 2015, O2 Czech Republic (owned by PPF) was split into two companies: CETIN, which owns the fixed and mobile network, and the mobile operator, O2. [18] CETIN is offering its cable network not only to O2, but also to another ISPs. Maximum speeds vary per each ISP (250 Mbit/s, 1 Gbit/s, etc.). [19]
CETIN has been building remote DSLAMs around the Czech Republic. They are supposed to be installed instead of existing network nodes connected through a copper cable. Remote DSLAMs are connected to a fibre network, so old copper lines (from DSLAM to customer) can transmit higher speeds.
The typical ADSL/VDSL (no limits/no data cap) connection offered is from 20/2 Mbit up to 100/10Mbit. For short local loops, 250/25 Mbit/s plan is offered by some VDSL3 (G.Fast) internet providers.[ citation needed ]
Cable internet offers higher download speeds up to 1000 Mbit/s. The biggest ISP, UPC (which has been acquired by Vodafone in 2019 [20] - Vodafone and UPC then merged) is providing its service mainly in big cities and attractive locations.[ citation needed ]
There were no government restrictions on access to the Internet or credible reports the government monitors e-mail or Internet chat rooms without judicial oversight. Individuals and groups engage in the free expression of views via the Internet, including by e-mail. [21]
The law provides for freedom of speech and press, and the government generally respects these rights. An independent press, an effective judiciary, and a functioning democratic political system combine to ensure freedom of speech and of the press. However, the law provides for some exceptions to these freedoms, for example, in cases of "hate speech", Holocaust denial, and denial of Communist-era crimes. The law prohibits arbitrary interference with privacy, family, home, or correspondence, and the government generally respects these prohibitions in practice. [21]
Since 2008, mobile operators T-Mobile [22] and Vodafone [23] [24] pass mobile and fixed Internet traffic through Cleanfeed, which uses data provided by the Internet Watch Foundation to identify pages believed to contain indecent photographs of children, and racist materials.
On 13 August 2009, Telefónica O2 Czech Republic, Czech DSL incumbent and mobile operator, started to block access to sites listed by the Internet Watch Foundation. The company said it wanted to replace the list with data provided by Czech Police. [25] The rollout of the blocking system attracted public attention due to serious network service difficulties and many innocent sites mistakenly blocked. The specific blocking implementation is unknown but it is believed that recursive DNS servers provided by the operator to its customers have been modified to return fake answers diverting consequent TCP connections to an HTTP firewall. [26]
On 6 May 2010, T-Mobile Czech Republic officially announced [27] that it was starting to block web pages promoting child pornography, child prostitution, child trafficking, pedophilia and illegal sexual contact with children. T-Mobile claimed that its blocking was based on URLs from the Internet Watch Foundation list and on individual direct requests made by customers.
Since 1 January 2017, internet service providers are obligated to prevent from accessing "internet sites" listed on non-permitted internet games list. The list is maintained by Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic. [28] The motivation is to make obstacle in reaching unregulated and untaxed foreign internet lotteries by Czech citizens and to protect lottery companies that obeyed the Czech regulations.
On 25 February 2022, as a result of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and a call from the government, CZ.NIC decided to suspend 8 domains of conspiracy and fake news websites spreading Russian propaganda. [29] [30] On the same day, the cybernetic unit of the Czech military Intelligence has asked internet service providers to block access to 22 websites (including 8 domains above), while the blocking is voluntary. [31] [32] The suspension period took 3 months and was not extended.
The Syrian Ministry of Communications retains governmental authority over the internet in Syria. Prior to the Syrian civil war, telecommunications in Syria were slowly moving towards liberalization, with a number of licenses awarded and services launched in the Internet service provision market. The initiative reflected the government's change in attitude towards liberalization, following its promise to the European Union to liberalize markets by 2010. All other forms of fixed-line communications are provided by the state-owned operator, Syrian Telecom (STE).
Telecommunications in Uruguay includes radio, television, telephones, and the Internet.
Telecommunications in Australia refers to communication in Australia through electronic means, using devices such as telephone, television, radio or computer, and services such as the telephony and broadband networks. Telecommunications have always been important in Australia given the "tyranny of distance" with a dispersed population. Governments have driven telecommunication development and have a key role in its regulation.
4G is the fourth generation of broadband cellular network technology, succeeding 3G and preceding 5G. A 4G system must provide capabilities defined by ITU in IMT Advanced. Potential and current applications include amended mobile web access, IP telephony, gaming services, high-definition mobile TV, video conferencing, and 3D television.
Telkom SA SOC Limited is a South African wireline and wireless telecommunications provider, operating in more than 38 countries across the African continent. Telkom is majority state-owned (55.3%) with the South African government owning 40.5% of Telkom, while another 14.8% is owned by another state-owned company - the Public Investment Corporation (PIC), which is closely linked to the South African government.
Free S.A.S. is a French telecommunications company, subsidiary of Iliad S.A. that provides voice, video, data, and Internet telecommunications to consumers in France. Its head office is in the 8th arrondissement of Paris and it is the second-largest ISP in France.
Neuf Cegetel was a French wireline telecommunications service provider and a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). It offered various telecommunications services to consumers, enterprises and wholesale customers, ranking second in the country in annual revenues. It was legally established in 2005 following the completion of the merger between Neuf Telecom and Cegetel. As of June 2008, the company became a wholly owned subsidiary of SFR, and the brand disappeared commercially.
The Internet in South Africa, one of the most technologically resourced countries on the African continent, is expanding. The internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) .za is managed and regulated by the .za Domain Name Authority (.ZADNA) and was granted to South Africa by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in 1990. Over 60% of Internet traffic generated on the African continent originates from South Africa. As of 2020, 41.5 million people were Internet users.
Internet in Australia first became available on a permanent basis to universities in Australia in May 1989, via AARNet. Pegasus Networks was Australia's first public Internet provider in June 1989. The first commercial dial-up Internet Service Provider (ISP) appeared in capital cities soon after, and by the mid-1990s almost the entire country had a range of choices of dial-up ISPs. Today, Internet access is available through a range of technologies, i.e. hybrid fibre coaxial cable, digital subscriber line (DSL), Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) and satellite Internet. In July 2009, the federal government, in partnership with the industrial sector, began rolling out a nationwide fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) and improved fixed wireless and satellite access through the National Broadband Network. Subsequently, the roll out was downgraded to a Multi-Technology Mix on the promise of it being less expensive and with earlier completion. In October 2020, the federal government announced an upgrade by 2023 of NBN fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) services to FTTP for 2 million households, at a cost of A$3.5 billion.
Internet access is widely available in New Zealand, with 94% of New Zealanders having access to the internet as of January 2021. It first became accessible to university students in the country in 1989. As of June 2018, there are 1,867,000 broadband connections, of which 1,524,000 are residential and 361,000 are business or government.
Internet in Brazil was launched in 1988, becoming commercialy available in May 1995. As of 2023, Brazil ranked fifth in the world with 181.8 million internet users. The country had an internet penetration rate of 86.6% as of January 2024. In March 2024, Brazil ranked 27th in the Ookla Broadband Ranking, with a median fixed broadband speed of 158.57 Mbit/s. Also, as per December 2021, Brazil had 41,4 million fixed broadband accesses, most of them FTTH. However, as per 2020, most Brazilians access the Internet through a mobile connection, with more than 200 million mobile internet access.
The prevalent means of connecting to the Internet in Germany is DSL, introduced by Deutsche Telekom in 1999. Other technologies such as Cable, FTTH and FTTB (fiber), Satellite, UMTS/HSDPA (mobile) and LTE are available as alternatives.
Internet in Moldova is one of the fastest and least expensive in the world. The country ranks 3rd in the world by gigabit coverage with around 90% of the population having the option to subscribe to a gigabit plan. The overall infrastructure is well developed which allows many users to experience good quality services throughout the country. However, despite high speeds and cheap prices, the penetration level is quite low when compared with many EU or CIS countries. In 2018, 49% of Moldovan households had broadband access. In 2015, there were 80 registered Internet Service Provider's (ISP's) in the country, with the majority being local or regional with only a few offering their services throughout the country. Moldtelecom and StarNet are the country's leading providers sharing around 88% of the market. The remaining 12% are shared between other ISPS, like SunCommunications, Arax Communications and others. Almost all ISPs that offer their services across the country have their headquarters located in the capital-city of Chişinău.
In Romania, there are 18.8 million connections to the Internet. Romania's country code is .ro. The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states. There were over 600 000 domains registered under .ro at the end of 2012.
Hutchison 3G Enterprises S.A.R.L., trading as 3 (Three) and Hutchison 3G, is the owner of several originally UMTS-based mobile phone networks and broadband Internet providers, which operate in Hong Kong, Macau, Austria, Denmark, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
Hutchison 3G UK Limited, trading as Three UK, is a telecommunications and internet service provider operating in the UK and based in Reading, England. It is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of CK Hutchison Holdings, a limited liability Cayman Islands company registered and listed in Hong Kong, China Three is the fourth-largest mobile network operator in the United Kingdom, with about 10.3 million subscribers as of May 2023.
Three Ireland (Hutchison) Limited, commonly known as 3 Ireland or Three Ireland, is a telecommunications and Internet service provider operating in Ireland as a subsidiary of CK Hutchison Holdings, operating under the global Three brand. The company launched in July 2005 and provides 2G GSM, 3G UMTS, 4G LTE and 5G NR mobile phone services. Three's former holding company, Hutchison Whampoa, acquired O2 Ireland in June 2013, and the company was fully merged into the operations of Three Ireland in March 2015.
iVysílání is a streaming platform of Czech Television. It offers television programmes produced by Czech Television along with films and programmes that Television has its license. Programmes and films can be viewed for free. Viewers can also watch broadcast of Czech Television channels.
