As at the end of March, subscriptions to all forms of communication technology, excluding fixed telephony, registered increases when compared to the corresponding period last year.
The internet subscription index as at the end of March stood at 169.1, an increase of 8.4 per cent over 2011. During this period, there were no active narrowband (dial-up) internet subscriptions recorded, as in the previous quarter. On the other hand, broadband subscriptions increased by 8.8 per cent to stand at 123,860. Furthermore the majority of broadband subscribers had a connection speed of at least 2Mbps.
The television subscription index went up by 2.5 per cent when compared to 2010 levels. A drop of 51.5 per cent was registered in analogue subscriptions, while digital subscriptions advanced by 13.6 per cent. Furthermore, digital subscriptions accounted for 91.9 per cent of total television subscriptions.
The number of fixed-telephone subscriptions during the quarter totalled 245,296, a decline of 0.3 per cent. Total fixed originating minutes to national and international networks dropped by 6.2 and 3.7 per cent respectively. As a result, the fixed telephone subscription index dropped by 0.3 per cent over last year.
At the end of the first quarter of 2011, mobile telephone subscriptions stood at 463,861, up by 6.8 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 reached 111.1 per cent, implying that some individuals have more than one mobile account (see methodological note 14). 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.
Post and couriers focuses on the activity of different types of postal and courier services. Total postal traffic for the period under review amounted to around 10.8 million items, a marginal increase when compared to the corresponding quarter in 2010. Total parcels and other items were recorded at 15,833, a drop of 27.7 per cent over quarter one of 2010.
Items received and dispatched by couriers totalled 121,786 – up by 18.5 per cent when compared to the corresponding quarter in 2010-