As at the end of September 2008, subscriptions to all forms of communication technology increased. Postal traffic totalled 10.8 million items.
Telecommunications – In the quarter under review, the absolute number of mobile telephone subscriptions reached 381,955. Contract-based mobile telephone subscriptions were recorded at 48,507, while card-plan subscriptions reached 333,448.
The fixed-telephone subscription index increased by 4.4 per cent from 112.4 in 2007 Q3 to 117.3 in the comparable quarter this year. Minutes used from fixed-line telephony amounted to around 124 million, while international fixed-telephony traffic comprised 457,813 calls, equivalent to around 1.5 million minutes.
VOIP minutes were estimated at around 10.2 million in the quarter under review. These cover all internet based telephony systems.
Internet, Cable and Digital Subscriptions – The internet subscription index rose by 8.0 per cent from 318.2 as at the end of September 2007 to 343.5 as at the end of the equivalent quarter in 2008. The rate of Internet subscriptions per 100 persons of the population reached 26.2.
Table 5 shows a shift in internet subscriptions. Whilst, the number of narrow band subscriptions decreased by 31.9 per cent over the previous year same quarter, the number of broad band users increased by 37.2 per cent when compared to the third quarter of 2007.
The cable and digital subscriptions index also increased by 8.0 per cent. Cable and digital television subscriptions were recorded at 30.9 per cent of the population as at the end of September 2008.
Post and Couriers – Total postal traffic for the third quarter of 2008 amounted to around 10.8 million items, of which the absolute bulk represented letters and other printed items.
In the same reference period, courier traffic totalled 64,891 items, of which 51.2 per cent were letters or documents, and the rest parcels.