Mali has democratic institutions and few restrictions on the free press. The International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX) used the Media Sustainability Index to compare three dozen sub-Saharan African nations in 2006–2007. Mali ranked fourth highest in freedom of the press, just behind South Africa, Namibia, and Ghana. IREX reports that legal protection of free speech is enforced, licensing of broadcast media is fair and competitive, and laws designed to prevent crimes against journalists are rigorously enforced. Even today, however, most of the population has limited opportunities to learn about the rest of the world. Mali is one of the least developed societies in West Africa, one of the poorest parts of the globe, and it is a landlocked country overlapping the Sahara, with poor transportation and few visitors. Public service TV and radio stations (ORTM) compete with more than 200 commercial and community radio stations. CNN, TV5Monde, and RTL are available on cable TV, along with sports and movies. Beyond those of the urban middle class, however, relatively few homes pick up these signals; only one in seven households has a TV set. The telecommunication sector was partially privatized in 2002. A population of 12.3 million has access to 82,500 mainline and 1.5 million mobile cell phones, representing 12 phones per 100 people. One of the first African national dial-up Internet services was established in Mali in 2001, and it includes public access from a Bamako café and some hotels.