As at the end of June 2008, subscriptions to all forms of communication technology increased. Postal traffic totalled 11.0 million items.

Telecommunications – In the quarter under review, the absolute number of mobile telephone subscriptions reached 374,507, or around 90.9 per cent of the population. Contract-based mobile telephone subscriptions were recorded at 44,287, while card-plan subscriptions reached 330,220. Table 3 focuses on different areas of mobile communication.

The fixed-telephone subscription index increased by 6.4 per cent from 108.6 in 2007 Q2 to 115.5 in the comparable quarter this year. Minutes used from fixed-line telephony amounted to around 131 million, while international fixed-telephony traffic comprised 513,945 calls, equivalent to around 1.6 million minutes.

VOIP minutes were estimated at around 9.5 million in the quarter under review. These cover all internet based telephony systems.

Internet, Cable and Digital Subscriptions – The internet subscription index rose by 18.2 per cent from 288.3 as at the end of June 2007 to 340.8 as at the end of June 2008. The rate of Internet subscriptions per 100 persons of the population reached 26.0.

The cable and digital subscriptions index also increased by 0.2 per cent. Cable and digital television subscriptions were recorded at 30.3 per cent of the population as at the end of June 2008.

Post and Couriers – Total postal traffic for the second quarter of 2008 amounted to around 11.0 million items, of which the absolute bulk represented letters and other printed items. Table 7 focuses on different types of national postal traffic.

In the same reference period, courier traffic totalled 63,925 items, of which 51 per cent were letters or documents, and the rest parcels.

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