Outgoing SMS traffic dropped by 25.6 million messages in the first quarter of this year, a sign of how other messaging services are gaining popularity.
The National Statistics Office said today that outgoing SMS traffic between January and March this year reached 128.1 million from 153.8 million in the same three months last year.
Outgoing MMS traffic was down by 18.2 per cent to reach 46,382.
Internet, TV and fixed telephone subscriptions all increased in the first three months of this year over the corresponding period last year.
Postal traffic declined by 11.8 per cent but the number of items received and dispatched by couriers was up by 21.2 per cent over last year
Internet broadband subscriptions grew by 5.3 per cent, reaching 144,800.
High speed internet connections exceeding 10 Mbps advanced by 19.5 per cent, reaching 131,930. In contrast, internet subscriptions with speeds ranging from 2 to 10 Mbps decreased by 52.0 per cent. The internet subscription index as at the end of Quarter 1 stood at 155.6 per cent, increasing by 5.3 percentage points when compared to 2013 levels.
Television subscriptions totalled 148,545, at par with last year’s levels. Digital subscriptions continued to dominate the market while analogue subscriptions dropped by 12.2 per cent.
Telecommunications
Fixed telephone subscriptions as at the end of March totalled 230,384, edging up by 0.5 per cent over 2013. Total fixed originating minutes to national networks declined by 4.5 per cent, while minutes towards international networks decreased by 11.4 per cent.
Local originating mobile traffic rose by 10.9 per cent. Postive trends were recorded both towards fixed and mobile telephone networks - 3.2 and 11.7 per cent respectively. Meanwhile the number of SMS’s sent while roaming increased by 2.0 per cent.
Post and Courier Services
Total postal traffic during the reference quarter declined by 11.8 per cent, and stood at 9.6 million items. Items received and dispatched by couriers totalled 183,086, up by 21.2 per cent over last year