91% of mobile users are satisfied with their service providers, a survey published by the Malta Communications Authority has found.

7% of respondents reported being indifferent on this aspect and the remaining 2% felt dissatisfied with the service. 

Of those reporting dissatisfaction with the current service, just a third say they would be willing to switch service provider. The rest say they would not switch for a number of reasons, namely; a perception that the switching process is inconvenient; a subscription that forms part of a bundle; and a perception that all service providers offer similar services. 

For 54% of the respondents, good customer care was an important factor, while a third said that their choice of service was based upon value for money. 

Only 3% of survey respondents did not have a mobile subscription, most of whom were aged over 65. These claimed that they found no need for a mobile connection and/or considered that using a mobile handset was too complicated. 

Post-paid subscribers pay more than those on pre-paid plans 

Comparing survey findings for the years 2015 and 2017, take-up of post-paid subscriptions for residential users was up by 13 to 35% of the subscriber base. 61% used a pre-paid service, while 4% had a hybrid subscription.

Just 3% of survey respondents report not having a mobile subscription, with most of these aged over 65. These claimed they found no need for a mobile connection and/or considered that using a mobile handset was too complicated.

The survey found that those on pre-paid plans were far more likely to know their monthly expenditure than those subscribed to post-paid plans, with only 6% of pre-paid respondents unable to identify their monthly spend compared to 24% of post-paid subscribers.

Post-paid subscribers also record a higher financial outlay compared to their pre-paid counterparts. 83% of respondents on a pre-paid plan reported an average monthly financial outlay of less than €20.00 per month, while 47% of post-paid plans reported paying over that amount. 

66% of respondents use smartphone

66% of respondents used a smartphone, however, around half of the respondents who said they used a standard mobile handset say they would not switch to a smartphone as they perceive such devices as being too complicated to use and that their standard handset was sufficient for their mobile telephony activities. Half of these were over the age of 65.

55% of respondents use mobile data services, with the other half mostly using free public wi-fi zones.