SECTOR 2 are considered the most easily accessible.’ Hence, the sector is dominated by the two state-owned stations Radio Botswana 1 (RB1) and Radio Botswana 2 (RB2). The popularity of state media among people living in the rural areas may have something to do with the president having proclaimed publicly that he neither reads, listens to nor trusts the private media. The state television station Botswana Television (Btv) is the main television (TV) station in the country, with almost the same reach of ‘about 45%’, as the state radio stations. The one private TV station, eBotswana, broadcasts only in the capital and its surroundings for which viewers require a set-top box to receive its signal. The new youth channel, Now TV, tends to run only for three hours a day once broadcasting has started. In its 2017 Annual Report, BOCRA shared the following official figures for commercial broadcasting population coverage in 2016/2017: ‘For commercial terrestrial FM radio, GABZ FM had the highest population coverage recorded at 59.39% of the population of Botswana. Yarona FM 40.49% and Duma FM covered 66% of the population of Botswana. eBotswana, a commercial terrestrial television provider, covered 22.9% of the population (Gaborone only, consistent with its licence).’12 Mobile Phones The cost of smartphones is extremely high and the mobile network coverage is not optimal in rural areas, making it difficult to receive a signal. Despite the high cost of smartphones, mobile penetration is assumed to be ‘very high.’ One service provider ‘claims to have 2 million subscribers.’ The notion that penetration is high is based on the purchase of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards, with each sale being counted as one subscriber; yet there are individuals who own more than one phone. In reality, the actual penetration is unknown. In its 2017 Annual Report, BOCRA counted 3,226,389 mobile subscriptions (a 6,8% decline from the previous year)13 and estimated in 2016 ‘that the mobile telephony networks cover at least 95% of the population with varying network capabilities of 2G, 3G and 4G.’14 Internet Internet access is extremely expensive. One hour of internet use costs 10 BWP (1 USD), and a Wi-Fi subscription, limited to two gigabytes (GB), has an average cost of 450 to 500 BWP (44-49 USD) per month. 12 http://www.bocra.org.bw/sites/default/files/documents/BOCRA%20AR%202017%20DIGITAL%20FINAL.pdf. 13 http://www.bocra.org.bw/sites/default/files/documents/BOCRA%20AR%202017%20DIGITAL%20FINAL.pdf. 14 www.bocra.org.bw/bocra-annual-report-2016. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER BOTSWANA 2018 25