Number of Call Minutes and Sent SMS Decreased
The number of call minutes decreased by 3.4 percent in the previous year. There was also a decline of 14.4 percent in the number of SMS sent, as indicated by the Telecom Monitor Annual Report 2024. According to a statement from the Regulatory Authority for Broadcasting and Telecommunications (RTR) on Wednesday, data consumption, on the other hand, increased by ten percent over the same period.
Fewer "classic" phone calls and SMS
Compared to 2023, according to Klaus Steinmaurer, Managing Director of RTR for the Telecommunications and Postal Services Division, call minutes decreased by 3.4 percent. Of this, the number of call minutes from landlines decreased by 12.2 percent, and those from mobile networks by around three percent. "Austrians made phone calls for nearly two days or 2,676 minutes on average (per capita, note) with landlines or mobile phones in 2024," said Steinmaurer. Approximately 920 million SMS were sent by the end of 2024, resulting in a 14.4 percent decline compared to the previous year. According to Steinmaurer, SMS are still relevant, not only because they enable communication with almost all mobile phones - they are reliable information transmitters in emergencies and important for two-factor authentication.
Increase in data consumption
Conversely, data consumption increased by ten percent in the previous year compared to 2023, totaling 11,654 petabytes. "A petabyte is an unimaginably large amount of data. With an average file size of three MB for a digital photo, storing approximately 333 million photos would require one petabyte," said Steinmaurer.
Further growth of small mobile providers
At the end of 2024, A1 had the largest market share of SIM cards with 36.3 percent. Magenta was in second place with 25 percent, and Drei had a share of 20.7 percent. According to the release, small providers have increased their market share by around three percent compared to 2013 - Hot was in fourth place with 9.6 percent and spusu in fifth with 5.2 percent.
(APA/Red)
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