Communication in Afghanistan

Mobile communication is the dominant practical channel in Afghanistan. Afghan Wireless (AWCC), Roshan, Etisalat, ATOMA and Salaam/Afghan Telecom provide 2G, 3G and 4G services, but coverage and quality are not uniform across the country. The available Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority (ATRA) dashboard lists 30.4 million active connections, 17 million internet users, 9,738 towers, 9,748 kilometres of fibre and 231,000 fixed-line connections; the dashboard does not display a date for these figures. Fixed-line access has much less practical relevance than mobile access. Fibre, 4G, satellite capacity and VSAT can be useful in particular locations, but their availability depends on infrastructure and cannot be treated as a nationwide service guarantee. SIM-card registration is compulsory. Customers should obtain SIM cards through authorised operator shops or sales points, because the 2024 system links telecom sales with the national identity system and e-Tazkera, the electronic national identity card. Unregistered SIM-card sales on the street are not permitted. Identity details connected with a SIM card create a privacy and security risk, especially when a phone contains sensitive contacts, messages or files. Reports documented by UNAMA describe smartphone checks at some checkpoints, including deletion of communication applications or content and, in some cases, confiscation. These reports do not establish the same practice in every province, so sensitive communication should be adapted to the local security situation. Prices depend on the operator, package and type of service. MCIT reduced listed prices for calls, internet and SMS from 1 January 2025, but there is no single uniform end-user price for all operators and packages. ATRA treats transparent tariffs, reasonable prices and protection from unauthorised value-added services or package activations as consumer concerns. A customer should keep activation messages, package details and payment records when disputing an unexpected charge. The usual complaint sequence is operator customer service followed by ATRA if the operator does not resolve the problem. Afghan Post provides national and international letters, parcels, Air Parcel, Surface Mail, Registered Mail, EMS, post office boxes, postal codes, tracking and passport tracking. The postal network has been described as having 463 post offices, including a central post office in each province and a central office plus 25 city post offices in Kabul. Registered mail is not delivered to a physical address under the stated service arrangement; Afghan Post sends a notification and the recipient collects the item from a branch with identification and a signature. For incoming EMS, the stated provider information gives an arrival time of zero to five working days, two delivery attempts and storage for 15 days after the attempts. Prices depend on the postal rate and the item, so a single general price cannot be assumed. Government communication uses a mixture of websites, email, telephone, online forms, SMS, USSD and in-person contact. MCIT operates or links services including Passport Tracker, e-Tazkera, Asan Wazifa and Mobile Salary Payment. Its listed contact is +93(0)20 210 4224 and its stated hours are Saturday to Wednesday from 08:30 to 15:00, with Thursday ending at 13:00. ATRA lists +93(0)20 210 1130, and the Afghanistan Postal Regulatory Authority (APRA) lists +93(0)20 210 6012. Digital portals may not remain reachable during network or power disruptions, so a telephone number, paper record or personal office contact can be necessary. Several specialised channels serve urgent or public-interest needs. Kabul Ambulance can be reached at 102 and is listed as free and available 24 hours a day. The Police Information Center uses 119 and is listed as available 24 hours a day. Afghan Post lists 199 as its call centre. Awaaz Afghanistan uses 410 for confidential humanitarian feedback; the service is free, operates seven days a week and supports Dari, Pashto, Urdu and English. Availability should still be checked locally, especially during network interruptions. Digital communication includes mobile data, USSD, SMS, email, online forms, WhatsApp or other messaging channels and announcements through websites or social media. USSD and value-added services can support package management and payments, but digital channels do not permanently replace voice calls, postal services or personal contact. A nationwide internet and telecommunications outage lasting almost 48 hours from 29 September to 1 October 2025 disrupted family, business, banking, health, humanitarian and government communication. Keeping more than one usable channel is therefore a practical safeguard. Access is also shaped by gender, income, literacy and device ownership. The UN Women Gender Index reported internet access in 2022 at 25 percent for men and 6 percent for women, with access for women at 9 percent in cities and 2 percent in rural areas. In 2024, 60 percent of women were reported to own a phone; among women without their own phone, 89 percent had access to a device belonging to another household member. Shared devices can provide contact while reducing privacy and independent control. Reports also describe regional restrictions affecting women's SIM-card or smartphone purchases, public smartphone use and women's voices or media communication. No reliable evidence establishes a nationwide formal TTY, relay or equivalent information-and-communication accessibility system. Voice hotlines, SMS, USSD, written post, branch visits, complaint boxes and female or male hotline agents can provide functional alternatives, but disability-specific coverage remains unclear. Communication systems and responsible institutions can change under the de facto administration, so a phone number, portal, office procedure or service condition should be verified before relying on it for a time-sensitive matter.