Mobile data usage in the first three months of this year surged by 51% compared to consumption recorded in the same period a year earlier, the Malta Communications Authority said on Wednesday.

In a report highlighting trends in the first three months of 2022 for the Maltese telecoms and postal sectors, it said mobile telephony subscriptions were up by 62,764 (or by 9.9%) year-on-year, reaching a total of 698,834 by the end of March. This was mainly a result of a rise in the take-up of post-paid plans, which was up by 57,731 in the 12-month period under review. Similarly, the number of pre-paid subscriptions was also up by 5,033.

"Evidently, the increase in the post-paid segment by far outpaced that observed for the pre-paid segment, as end-users opt for plans that give them the most advantageous offer that addresses their increasing demand for mobile data. The first three months of 2022 also saw a strong increase in mobile data consumption, with volumes of Mb consumed surging up by almost 51%," the authority said.

Voice traffic decreases

Consistently with developments observed over the past years, voice traffic volumes in the first three months of this year were down compared to the same period in 2021. The number of voice calls and voice call minutes was down by 0.1% and 2.5% respectively. Roaming voice activity intensified as travel makes its comeback Comparing volumes in the first quarter of 2022 to the same period a year earlier, roaming voice minutes were up by 11% whilst roaming data consumption rebounded by 27%. 

The fixed telephony segment was down by 1,193 subscriptions (or by 0.5%) in the 12-month period ending last March, with subscriptions totalling 257,654. The majority of fixed telephony subscribers, at almost 86%, purchased the service in a bundle alongside other telecom services.  Fixed voice traffic volumes dropped significantly when comparing the first quarter of 2022 to the first quarter of 2021, with the number of voice calls declining by 23.5% and the number of voice call minutes falling by 30.7%.

Fewer direct high-quality connections

The authority said the number of high-quality connections totalled 330 by the end of March of 2022. This was down by 3.5% year-on-year.

High-quality connections feature specific product characteristics that are not offered with mass market products, such as point-to-point and guaranteed data transmission. These connections are typically used by organisations such as banks, gaming companies and government entities. 

Mixed bag on the postal front

On the postal front, mail volumes in the first quarter of this year were 3.5% higher than in the corresponding period last year.

Mainly contributing to this increase was the mail volume increase recorded within the scope of the universal service - bulk mail and parcel mail - which together made up 68% of total mail volumes during this period, saw volume increase by 12.3% and 2.2% respectively. The latter was possibly a result of a rise in online retail shopping, whilst the former is attributed to bulk mail generated by public sector activities, the authority said. 

These year-on-year increases outweighed a drop of 23.9% in registered mail and a 10.9% decline in letter mail of 10.9%. Mail volumes outside the scope of the universal service for the first quarter of this year were down by 4.4% compared to the same period a year earlier.