Sharp increase in mobile phone subscriptions

Mobile phone subscriptions heavily outnumbered fixed phone subscriptions in November 2011.

The NSO said the number of fixed telephone subscriptions totaled 240,915, resulting in a drop of 2.2 per cent over the corresponding quarter last year.

Meanwhile mobile telephone subscriptions continued to strengthen and stood at 525,848, up by 17.8 per cent when compared to the previous year. Increases were recorded in both post-paid and pre-paid schemes.

The mobile penetration rate per 100 persons in the population amounted to 125.4 per cent, implying that a considerable number of individuals have more than one mobile account.

The NSO said that as of at the end of September, subscriptions to all forms of communication technology, with the exception of fixed telephony, registered increases when compared to the corresponding period last year. A substantial increase was noted in mobile telephone subscriptions.

The NSO said no active dial-up internet subscriptions were recorded as at the end of quarter three, confirming the trend from previous quarters that this type of internet connection is becoming obsolete.

The NSO however said broadband subscriptions grew by 6.5 per cent, reaching 127,976 subscriptions.

Regarding internet speed the NSO said the majority of broadband subscribers had a connection speed of at least 2 Mbps, while internet speeds exceeding 10 Mbps recorded a substantial increase. 

Television subscriptions increased by 2.5% when compared to the corresponding reference period in 2010 and numbered 148,668.

The NSO said the main cause of this change was an increase in digital subscriptions, which advanced by 7.3 per cent. On the other hand, a drop of 33.7 per cent was registered in the number of analogue subscriptions. In the third quarter, digital subscriptions accounted for 93 per cent of total television subscriptions.

Increases were recorded in local originating mobile traffic, both towards fixed and mobile telephone networks. Drops were registered in inbound roaming activities, while outbound roaming calls and SMSs increased substantially.

In regards to more traditional forms of communication, the NSO said that total postal traffic amounted to over 10.3 million items, dropping by 2.4 per cent when compared to the corresponding quarter in 2010.

Total parcels and other items were recorded at 21,341, an increase of 10.1 when compared to the previous year. Items received and dispatched by couriers totalled 149,963 - a decrease by 22.6 per cent when compared to the corresponding quarter last year.