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Mobile phone subscriptions reached 325,642 in absolute terms during quarter one this year, which translates into 80.6 per cent of the population according to statistics released by the National Statistics Office.
Contract based mobile phone subscriptions were recorded at 27,615, while card-plan subscriptions reached 298,027.
As at end March 2006 the fixed-telephone subscription index increased by 0.1 per cent from 104.0 in quarter one 2005 to 104.1. Minutes used in fixed-line telephony on local calls amounted to around 171 million, with some 120 million minutes from residential subscriptions and the rest from business premises subscriptions. The international fixed telephony traffic comprised 818,785 calls, equivalent to around 1.8 million minutes.
In the quarter under review VOIP minutes were estimated at around 1.9 million. The pager subscription index increased by 9.5 per cent from 83.4 in quarter one 2005 to 91.3in the period under review.
The internet subscription index rose by 2.8 per cent from 277.2 as at end of March 2005 to 284.9 as at end of equivalent period in 2006. The rate of Internet subscriptions per 100 persons in the population reached 22.1.
In the quarter under review, the cable and digital subscriptions decreased by 0.3 per cent from 127.5 to 127.1. Cable and digital television subscriptions were recorded at 25.2 per 100 persons in the population as at end of March 2006.
The national post registered a decrease of 8.7 per cent on locally-posted items such as letters in the period under review compared to the same quarter in 2005. On the other hand, an increase of 1.6 per cent was reported for the item under ‘Letters, printed paper, newspapers and postcards received from abroad' in the same period.
Postal order transactions, in value terms, have all decreased from the first quarter of 2005 to the same quarter in 2006. On the other had money order transactions have increased in cash terms.
Employment in the courier industry increased from 132 full-time (equivalent) persons to 136, from 2005 to 2006. Wages and salaries increased by 6.7 per cent in the same period. Total Turnover increased by 12.0 per cent from January-March 2005 to the same period in 2006. |
