align=right | 800,000 | align=center | 4.2% |- |2009 | align=right | 3,565,000 | align=center | 16.4% |- |2010 | align=right | 3,935,000 | align=center | 17.7% |- |2011 | align=right | 4,469,000 | align=center | 19.8% |- |2016 | align=right | 5,502,250 | align=center | 29.6% |- |2021 |align=right | 8,500,000 |align=center | 46.5% |} The internet first appeared around 1998. 35 organs of the Syrian government by July 1998 were connected to the internet. There were 420 Syrian Internet hosts in 2010, placing Syria 187th out of 231 in the world. With a measured download speed that averages 768 kbit/s, the speed of the Internet in Syria is relatively slow compared to the worldwide average of 4.6 Mbit/s. ADSL service in Syria has been available since 2003. However, ADSL is not available in all locations and, where available, the local telco may not have enough ports for immediate activation. Through 2009 broadband Internet access had reached less than 0.2% of the Syrian population. 3G wireless Internet is available in all major cities as well as cities with significant tourism. 2.5G EDGE wireless Internet is available through mobile network operators, SyriaTel and MTN. Wireless Internet is accessed using a USB stick purchased from the mobile operators. In addition, 3G SIM cards for use on mobile phones may be purchased with a data plan. However, only WCDMA phones support data at the moment. High-speed Internet is also available through many Internet cafes. Internet service providers (ISPs) ISPs in Syria include: View ISP INET Nas Omniya Runnet ZAD Lema Waves ProNet Takamol SCS-Net Internet censorship Internet filtering in Syria was found to be pervasive in the political and Internet tools areas, and selective in the social and conflict/security areas by the OpenNet Initiative in August 2009. Syria has been on Reporters Without Borders Enemy-of-the-Internet list since 2006 when the list was established. In 2009, the Committee to Protect Journalists named Syria number three in a list of the ten worst countries in which to be a blogger, given the arrests, harassment, and restrictions which online writers in Syria have faced. Syria has banned websites for political reasons and arrested people accessing them. In addition to filtering a wide range of Web content, the Syrian government monitors Internet use very closely and has detained citizens "for expressing their opinions or reporting information online." Vague and broadly worded laws invite government abuse and