Postal, telegraph, and broadcasting services are state owned; as of 2000 there were at least 400,000 main telephone lines and 20,000 cellular phone subscribers. The Sudan Broadcasting Service, the government-controlled radio network, transmits daily in Arabic, English, French, Amharic, Somali, and other languages; in 1999 there were 11 AM and 1 FM radio stations and 3 television stations. Television service was inaugurated in 1963; an earth satellite station was completed in November 1974. In 2000 there were 464 radios and 273 televisions for every 1,000 people. In 2002, two Internet service providers were served about 50,000 subscribers.
In 2001, there were 14 daily Arabic newspapers and 2 English papers. The largest dailies (with 2002 circulation rates) were Al Sudani (305,000), Al Ayam (200,000), Al Siasa (60,000), Al Khartoum (25,000), and the English-language Sudan Standard.
The government is said to severely limit free speech and the press through intimidation, surveillance, and economic control. Sudan television has a permanent military censor to ensure that all broadcasts reflect government views.
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