TRA: 98pc mobile users have access to internet

Manama : Ninety-eight per cent of mobile users have access to internet services in Bahrain compared to 89 per cent in 2015, according to a survey conducted by Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA).

Only a low percentage of people are using fixed lines service, the Telecommunications Services Residential Market Survey report said.

According to ITU data and the Global Competitiveness Report (2017-2018) that was published at the end of September 2017 by the World Economic Forum, the Kingdom of Bahrain is at the forefront of countries in terms of internet penetration and usage; Bahrain is ranked 1st globally for mobile broadband penetration and 2nd for internet users.

According to TRA’s survey, 31 per cent of the respondents have multiple mobile SIM cards instead of only one, primarily to take advantage of various promotions that mobile operators offer, or to use separate SIMs for voice and mobile data, or for business or personal use. 

This percentage has decreased compared to the 2015 survey’s results, where it was 41 per cent, which indicates that mobile services have evolved to suit the requirements of users, the survey said.

With respect to internet usage, the survey shows that the use of social networking sites is the main internet activity for 93 per cent  of internet users, followed by the email by 71 per cent and downloading multimedia content by 70 per cent.