Fixed lines subscriptions have been steadily declining over the last four years in Egypt while the number of mobile subscriptions has grown sharply, according to a new report from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. Fixed line subscriptions declined 38.4 percent in 2012 compared to the figures in 2008, while mobile subscriptions grew 57.3 percent. The average annual growth rate of mobile penetration during the period from 2008 to 2012 was 15.25 percent. The percentage of internet users accessing the internet through ADSL, which requires having a fixed line, grew to account for 44.1 percent of all access modes in 2012 compared to 38.02 percent in 2008. Generally, internet users shifted away from narrowband ISDN and dial-up to broadband ADSL, USB modems and mobile internet. In 2012, narrowband internet users accounted for only 9.44 percent of all internet users. The peak year for USB modems and mobile internet was 2011 when roughly 45 percent of users accessed the internet through mobiles. The number decreased to 37.37 percent in 2012. Overall, internet penetration grew drastically from 13.64 percent in 2008 (10.28 million users) to 39.41 percent in 2012 (32.62 million users). Telecom Egypt, Egypt's state-owned fixed line operator, announced consolidated revenues of LE2.86 billion for the third quarter of 2013, ending on 30 September. The results show revenues from broadband and ADSL were able to offset the decline in voice traffic of fixed lines. The report also showed that instant cash transfers through the postgrew by 64.4 percent in 2012 compared with 2008, reaching a value of LE9.6 million. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/88107.aspx
