5G, data usage, mobile subscriptions grow in Q4 2024

AMMAN — The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) on Thursday reported an expansion in telecommunications services across the Kingdom in the fourth quarter of 2024, driven by significant growth in data consumption and 5G adoption.

According to the TRC’s quarterly statistical report, cited by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, fixed-line voice service subscriptions reached some 486,000 by the end of Q4 2024, compared to 493,000 in Q4 2023, marking a 1.4 per cent decline.

Residential users accounted for 67 per cent of the total, while commercial subscribers made up the remaining 33 per cent.

Despite the drop in subscriptions, fixed-line call traffic rose by 6 per cent year-on-year, reaching 11.3 million call minutes, where 85 per cent of the total was local traffic between governorates and international calls accounted for 15 per cent.

The number of mobile broadband subscriptions climbed to 8.046 million in Q4 2024, compared to 7.727 million a year earlier, marking a growth rate of 4.1 per cent. 

Prepaid plans accounted for 69 per cent of total mobile broadband subscriptions, while 31 per cent were post-paid. 

Voice and data subscriptions constituted 84 per cent of total mobile plans, with the remaining 16 per cent being data-only.

Mobile voice traffic totalled 7.37 billion minutes, of which 97 per cent were domestic calls and 3 per cent international. 

Text messaging witnessed a dramatic increase, with 576 million messages sent in Q4 2024, compared to 260 million in the same period the previous year, showing an increase of 122 per cent.

The mobile phone penetration rate reached 69 per cent of the total population and 106 per cent among individuals aged 15 and above by the end of Q4 2024, compared to 67 per cent and 104 per cent, respectively, in Q4 2023.

Mobile broadband data usage reached some 658 million gigabytes in the fourth quarter, marking a 13 per cent rise from 580 million gigabytes (GB) in Q4 2023.

Fixed broadband internet subscriptions rose slightly to some 812,000 by the end of Q4 2024, up from 805,000 in Q4 2023, reflecting a growth rate of 0.8 per cent and a household penetration rate of 33.4 per cent. 

Fiber-optic Internet continued to dominate with 591,000 subscriptions, representing 72.8 per cent of total fixed broadband subscriptions, while FBWA technology accounted for 17.9 per cent and xDSL for 8.8 per cent.

Data consumption through fixed broadband services reached 1.339 billion GB in Q4 2024, compared to 1.161 billion GB in the same quarter of 2023, marking a 15 per cent increase. 

Average monthly fixed internet usage per subscription rose to 550 GB, up from 481 GB in Q4 2023, a growth rate of 14 per cent.

Also, 5G mobile subscriptions witnessed exponential growth, reaching 112,900 in Q4 2024, registering an increase of nearly 60 per cent from the previous quarter and 800 per cent compared to Q4 2023.

Leased line subscriptions also saw a “notable” rise, totalling 24,143 by the end of the fourth quarter of 2024, up from 20,539 in Q4 2023, growing by 17.5 per cent.