Telephone, internet use ‘decreasing in Sudan’

The number of telephone subscribers in Sudan has dropped from 28.3 million in 2015 to 27.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2016, the Ministry of Communications has announced.

The Ministry of Communications said that the number of Internet users also has dropped to 9.9 million subscribers in the fourth quarter of last year compared to 11.4 million subscribers in 2015.

Dr Tahani Abdallah Attiya, Sudan’s Minister of Communications and Technology, acknowledged the challenges faced, notably the lack of foreign exchange, and complained about attracting and retaining qualified professionals.

Cybercrime

In a statement to parliament on Monday, she referred to the Ministry's efforts to investigate all media communications and crimes related to social networks, fraud, and hacking of networks and websites.

She announced the formation of a national committee to protect children from the dangers of the Internet as well as the modernisation of the law to combat information crimes to protect children and minors from cybercrime.

She outlined the continuation of a campaign of joint periodical controls on internet cafes, carried out in conjunction with the general directorate of literary and artistic works of Khartoum state.