Telecommunications in Greenland

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Telecommunications in Greenland covers radio, television, fixed and mobile phones, and the Internet. By law, there is only one telecom and Internet provider: TELE Greenland, owned by the Greenlandic government. TELE Greenland offers landline and data services, mobile networks, and VHF and MF shore-to-ship communications.

Television and broadcasting
Television began in the 1960s. People used private transmitters to receive TV from Canada, Iceland, and Denmark. Greenland’s first local TV service started in 1982. The state broadcaster, Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa (KNR), runs one TV channel and one radio service nationwide, in Greenlandic and Danish. KNR is an independent public corporation funded by the government and advertising, with about 100 employees and a seven-person board. Private local TV and radio stations exist as rebroadcasts of Danish public stations. An umbrella group called STTK operates local stations across the country, and American Forces Network stations are also present.

Infrastructure and numbers
All telephone numbers have six digits. Domestic and international calls use cables and microwave links, and the system was digitized in 1995. The Greenland Connect submarine cable links Greenland to Europe via Iceland and to North America via Newfoundland. TELE Greenland began using satellite communication in 1978 and now operates 15 satellite earth stations (12 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, and 2 Americom GE-2) across the Atlantic.

Mobile and wireless services
As of 2019, there were about 66,000 active mobile subscriptions. All NMT (1G) networks were shut down in 2007. 4G launched in 2014, and mobile coverage now reaches nearly all inhabited areas, with some remote places still lacking service. VHF radio-telephone is also used for calls and can function like a regular phone in Greenland.

5G and recent developments
In September 2022, TELE Greenland teamed up with Swedish company Ericsson to build a 5G network in Greenland.

Government, Internet freedom, and notable events
Greenland is a territory with home-rule within the Kingdom of Denmark. The Danish government does not restrict access to the Internet, and there are no broad patterns of monitoring. An Internet filter exists to block child pornography and rarely affects legitimate sites. The Danish Constitution protects freedom of speech and the press, with limits for crimes like hate speech and blasphemy, and these rights are generally respected. In 2013, the .gl domain registrar suspended the resolution of thepiratebay.gl.