Communication technology registers increase

According to statistics released by the National Statistics Office (NSO), the internet subscription index as at the end of March saw an increase of 8.4% over 2011.

During this period, there were no active narrowband (dial-up) subscriptions recorded, as in the previous quarter.

On the other hand, broadband subscriptions increased by 8.8% to stand at 123,860. The majority of broadband subscribers had a connection speed of at least 2 Mbps.

The television subscription index went up by 2.5% when compared to 2010 levels.

A drop of 51.5% was registered in analogue subscriptions, while digital subscriptions advanced by 13.6%. Furthermore, digital subscriptions accounted for 91.9% of total television subscriptions.

The number of fixed-telephone subscriptions during the quarter totalled 245,296, a decline of 0.3%. Total fixed originating minutes to national and international networks dropped by 6.2 and 3.7% respectively. As a result, the fixed telephone subscription index dropped by 0.3% over last year.

At the end of the first quarter of 2011, mobile telephone subscriptions stood at 463,861, up by 6.8% 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 reached 111.1%, implying that some individuals have more than one mobile account.

When compared to the corresponding period in 2010, increases were recorded in local originating mobile traffic, with the exception of outgoing SMS and MMS traffic. Outbound and inbound roaming activities both registered increases.