Telecommunications in American Samoa

Membership: North American Numbering Plan (NANP)

• Land lines in use: 10,400 (2004); country comparison to the world: 202
• Mobile cellular subscribers: 2,200 (2004); country comparison to the world: 210
• domestic services: telex, telegraph, facsimile and cellular telephone services; domestic satellite system with one Comsat earth station
• international services: satellite earth station – Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)'
• Country code: 1
• NANP area code: 684
• International telephone number format: +1 684 NXX-XXXX (N=2–9, X=0–9)
• international access code: 011

Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 4 commercial, 4 non-commercial, 2 LPFM, shortwave 0 (2005)

Radios:

57,000 (1997)

{{See also|List of television stations in American Samoa}}

Television broadcast stations: 4 (2006)

Televisions: 14,000 (1997)

In 2009, American Samoa was connected to the Internet using the American Samoa Hawaii Cable (ASH) undersea communications cable that increased bandwidth from 20 Mbit/s to 1 Gbit/s.{{cite web|url=http://www.itwire.com/it-industry-news/strategy/21014-samoans-one-step-closer-to-broadband|title=iTWire - Samoans one step closer to broadband|website=www.itwire.com|access-date=21 December 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/news.html?d=168354|title=eLandia and American Samoa Inaugurate Submarine Cable|last=eLandia|access-date=21 December 2017}} The project used a defunct PacRim East cable built in 1993 that previously connected Hawaii with New Zealand. The cable system now connects Samoa to American Samoa and then to Hawaii where it will connect to global submarine networks. In July 2018, the Hawaiki cable{{cite web|url=http://hawaikicable.co.nz/?network|title=Hawaiki Cable Network|access-date=26 July 2018}} was activated{{cite web|url=http://www.samoanews.com/local-news/hawaiki-cable-now-live-promising-faster-more-reliable-internet-service|title=Samoa News - Hawaiki cable now live, promising faster, more reliable internet service|access-date=26 July 2018}} with a branch providing a 200 Gb/s{{cite web|url=http://hawaikicable.co.nz/PR/2018%2004%2024%20-%20Hawaiki%20Transpacific%20Cable%20System%20Completes%20American%20Samoa%20Landing.pdf|title=Hawaiki Transpacific Cable Completes Final Landing at American Samoa|access-date=26 July 2018}} connection from Pago Pago to Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, and Oregon.

In 2012, American Samoa had the most expensive Internet access service in the U.S. according to Engadget.{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2012/07/04/most-expensive-internet-in-america-samoa-broadband-interview/|title=The most expensive internet in America: fighting to bring affordable broadband to American Samoa|work=Engadget|access-date=October 8, 2018|date=2012}}

Under Governor Togiola Tulafono investment in a fibre optic network to replace aging copper infrastructure across all the islands of American Samoa{{cite web|url=https://ucononline.com/2016/01/04/american-samoa-fiber-optic-network/ |title=AMERICAN SAMOA FIBER OPTIC NETWORK |date=December 2015 |periodical=Underground Construction |publisher=Oildom Publishing Company of Texas, Inc. |access-date=2016-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222133416/https://ucononline.com/2016/01/04/american-samoa-fiber-optic-network/ |archive-date=2016-12-22 |url-status=live }} and the construction in 2015 of a 1.2 Gbit/s satellite uplink via O3b Networks which more than doubled available bandwidth to the rest of the world{{cite web|url=https://www.o3bnetworks.com/american-samoa-telecommunications-authority-astca-goes-live-with-o3b-networks-significantly-improves-broadband-based-services-to-territory-residents/ |title=American Samoa Telecommunications Authority (ASTCA) Goes Live with O3b Networks, Significantly Improves Broadband-based Services to Territory Residents |date=2015-06-15 |publisher=O3b Networks |access-date=2016-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222134908/https://www.o3bnetworks.com/american-samoa-telecommunications-authority-astca-goes-live-with-o3b-networks-significantly-improves-broadband-based-services-to-territory-residents/ |archive-date=2016-12-22 |url-status=bot: unknown }} resulted in broadband Internet service becoming more affordable, with the price of the cheapest available residential package decreasing from $75/month to $50/month and download speeds of the base package increasing from 256 kbit/s to 768 kbit/s.{{cite web|url=http://astca.net/internet|title=Internet - ASTCA|date=10 November 2015|access-date=21 December 2017|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151110131037/http://astca.net/internet|archive-date=10 November 2015}} The improved connectivity to the outside world has revived previously stalled hopes that a call center could be opened in American Samoa, boosting the local economy.{{cite web |url=http://www.test9.gettingbeached.com/economic-development-plan-revives-hope-call-center |title=Economic Development plan revives hope for call center |author= |date=2015-02-15 |publisher=Osini Faleatasi Inc |access-date=2016-12-22}}

File:Aleki Sene Sr Telecommunications Center - Tafuna, American Samoa.jpg

The Aleki Sene, Sr. Telecommunications Center{{cite web |last1=Miller |first1=Monica |title=American Samoa Telecommunications Authority |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news_crops/43728/eight_col_ASTCA_Building_Aug_17.JPG |website=RNZ |access-date=15 September 2020 |language=en |date=August 2017}} in Tafuna is the tallest building in American Samoa (it is 4 stories tall). Construction of the building began in 2009 and ended in 2011.http://www.sraa.co.nz/Projects/Commercial/ASTCA+Telecommunications+Building.html "ASTCA Telecommunications building - Swan Railley Architects". Retrieved September 4, 2019. Out of the tallest buildings of each U.S. state and territory, the Aleki Sene, Sr. Telecommunications Center is the shortest.

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