99% of Bahrain residents use the Internet

Manama: The number of Internet users has reached 99% of the population in Bahrain, a Telecommunications Services Residential Market Survey report showed.

The figure, the highest in the world, is a clear indication of the increasing affordability of Internet services in Bahrain, the report published by Bahrain’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) said.

The results of the survey show that Internet applications represent most internet activities such as social media applications. For instance, 99% of respondents said they use WhatsApp and YouTube, 95% use Instagram and Facebook and 90% use Snapchat.

With regard to mobile telephony services, almost all respondents have a mobile phone service.

However, the survey shows that the percentage of users having two or more mobile SIM cards is in decline, reaching 16% in 2018 compared to 38% in 2017.

This reflects the developments in mobile telephony packages such as the introduction of new and comprehensive packages as well as the significantly increasing use of mobile data.

The survey also indicates that the main reason put forward by respondents for having more than one SIM card was to have separate SIMs for business and personal use.

As for the fixed line service, the results showed that 16% of the households surveyed have a fixed telephone line due to the high dependence on mobile phone services.

Regarding telecommunications services users’ satisfaction, the survey results showed that 85% of respondents expressed their satisfaction with telecommunications services in Bahrain. Users’ proposals were focused on lowering prices and increasing the quality of services.

The survey included a sample of 1,548 individuals in the age group of 15 years and above, who were surveyed on the availability and use of various telecommunication services as well as their satisfaction with telecommunication and online services.