Telecommunications

The absolute number of mobile telephone subscriptions at the end of June reached 353,495, which roughly translates into 86.6 per cent of the population, the National Statistics Office reported yesterday. Contract-based mobile telephone subscriptions were recorded at 32,648, while card-plan subscriptions reached 320,742.

As at end of June 2007, the fixed-telephone subscription index increased by 4.6 per cent from 103.8 in quarter two 2006 to 108.6 in the comparable quarter this year. Minutes used in fixed-line telephony on local calls amounted to around 162 million, with some 114 million minutes from residential subscriptions and the rest from business premises subscriptions. The international fixed-telephony traffic comprised 762,553 calls, equivalent to around 1.3 million minutes. VOIP minutes were estimated at around 4.7 million in the quarter under review.

Internet, cable and digital subscriptions

The internet subscription index rose by 0.8 per cent from 286.1 as at end of June 2006 to 288.3 as at end of the equivalent period in 2007. The rate of internet subscriptions per 100 persons in the population reached 22.2. The cable and digital subscriptions index also increased by 22 per cent. Cable and digital television subscriptions were recorded at 11.3 per 100 persons in the population as at the end of June 2007.

Post and couriers

Total postal traffic for the second quarter of 2007 amounted to around 11.2 million items, of which the absolute bulk represented letters and other printed items. In the same reference period, courier traffic totalled 63,829 items, of which 51 per cent were letters or documents and the rest parcels. Courier traffic in the reference period was 1.6 per cent less that the previous year