Around 18 communities still have no telephone signal and the problem affects more than 5,000 people in the Chicualacuala district of Gaza province.

According to the NewsIn order for people to access "modern" communications, they have to travel around 50 kilometers on foot or by cart to the network radius of the nearest towns or administrative posts.

Even so, when they do find the network, they experience frequent dropped calls, a busy network signal, a weak internet signal, factors that hinder calls or connections and the exchange of data to access other services.

The authorities in the Chicualacuala district also suffer from the lack of a mobile network to keep the community informed about the provision of social services.

"This situation is quite embarrassing, especially for the care of seriously ill patients, because it becomes difficult to call an ambulance to transport patients," said Administrator Cacilda Banze.

According to the newspaper, work is underway with the provincial transport department to persuade telephone companies to expand their services to the communities.