Telecommunications in Puerto Rico

Template:Short description Telecommunications in Puerto Rico includes radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.

Broadcasting in Puerto Rico is regulated by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC).<ref>"Puerto Rico profile", BBC News, 23 May 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2014.</ref>

History

Telegraph service was inaugurated in 1869, responding to an 1864 order by Spanish Governor Felix Maria Mesian.<ref>Eduardo Neumann Gandia, "Verdadera y Autentica Historia de la Ciudad de Ponce", Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, 1987, p. 121.</ref> By 1872, the entire island had telegraph service as well as international connections to the rest of the Caribbean and Europe.<ref>Eduardo Neumann Gandia, "Verdadera y Autentica Historia de la Ciudad de Ponce", Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, 1987, p. 121.</ref>

The Puerto Rico Communications Authority ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) was created with Law No. 212, on May 12, 1942. Five years later, the department was located at 1314 Juan Ponce de León Avenue in Santurce.<ref name="History" />

Radio

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• Stations: 140 radio stations (as of January 2015).<ref name="fmfcc">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Television

Template:See also WIPR-TV ("Wonderful Island of Puerto Rico") was inaugurated on January 26, 1949.<ref name="History" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Stations: more than 30 TV stations operating; three stations of the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Service; cable TV subscription services are available (2007).<ref name=CIAWFB-PuertoRico-2013/>
• Television sets: 1.0 million sets (1997).Template:Update after

Telephones

Historic building which is now a Telephone and Telegraph museum in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico

• Calling code-area codes: +1-787, +1-939<ref name=CIAWFB-PuertoRico-2013>"Communications: Puerto Rico", World Factbook, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, 9 December 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2014.</ref>
• International call prefix: 00<ref>Dialing Procedures (International Prefix, National (Trunk) Prefix and National (Significant) Number) (in Accordance with ITY-T Recommendation E.164 (11/2010)), Annex to ITU Operational Bulletin No. 994-15.XII.2011, International Telecommunication Union (ITU, Geneva), 15 December 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2014.</ref>
• Main lines: 780,200 lines in use, 87th in the world (2012).<ref name=CIAWFB-PuertoRico-2013/>
• Mobile cellular: 3.1 million lines, 130th in the world (2012).<ref name=CIAWFB-PuertoRico-2013/>
• System: modern digital system integrated with that of the United States (2011).<ref name=CIAWFB-PuertoRico-2013/>
• Satellite earth stations: Intelsat with high-speed data capability (2011).<ref name=CIAWFB-PuertoRico-2013/>
• Communications cables: provide connectivity to the US, Caribbean, Central and South America (2011).<ref name=CIAWFB-PuertoRico-2013/>

Internet

Hurricane Maria destroyed the internet systems in Puerto Rico in September 2017.<ref name="Hurricane Maria">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Then in 2019, the US Federal Communications Commission stated $950 million had been approved for the rebuilding and strengthening of Puerto Rico's and the Virgin Island's internet infrastructure.<ref name="FCC">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Top-level domain: .pr<ref name=CIAWFB-PuertoRico-2013/>
• Internet users: 1.9 million users, 92nd in the world; 51.4% of the population, 83rd in the world (2012).<ref name=NIUCalc>Calculated using penetration rate and population data from "Countries and Areas Ranked by Population: 2012" Template:Webarchive, Population data, International Programs, U.S. Census Bureau, retrieved 26 June 2013</ref><ref name=ITU-IndividualsUsingTheInternet>"Percentage of Individuals using the Internet 2000-2012", International Telecommunication Union (Geneva), June 2013, retrieved 22 June 2013</ref>
• Fixed broadband: available to 65% of Puerto Ricans (2012).<ref name=NBM-PuertoRico>Puerto Rico summary, National Broadband Map, 31 December 2012.</ref>
• Wireless broadband: available to 98.7% of Puerto Ricans (2012).<ref name=NBM-PuertoRico/>
• Available broadband technologies as a percentage of population: 48.2% DSL, 0.1% Fiber, 59.6% cable, 84.7% wireless (2012).<ref name=NBM-PuertoRico/>
• Internet hosts: 469 hosts, 184th in the world (2012).<ref name=CIAWFB-PuertoRico-2013/>
• IPv4: 1 million addresses allocated, less than 0.05% of the world total, 250.2 addresses per 1000 people (2012).<ref>Select Formats Template:Webarchive, Country IP Blocks. Accessed on 2 April 2012. Note: Site is said to be updated daily.</ref><ref>Population, The World Factbook, United States Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on 2 April 2012. Note: Data are mostly for 1 July 2012.</ref>
• Internet Service Providers: 19 ISPs (1999).Template:Update after

See also

• Economy of Puerto Rico
• Internet Exchange of Puerto Rico
• Media of Puerto Rico

References

• Template:CIA World Factbook

External links

• About NIC.pr, the registrar for the .pr top-level domain name.
• Internet Society Puerto Rico
• Federal government grants to expand broadband Internet access in Puerto Rico, Broadband USA.
• Puerto Rico summary, National Broadband Map, 31 December 2012.
• Radio Puerto Rico
• El Nuevo Dia
• WIPR-TV 6 & WIPM-TV 3 Template:Webarchive