AMMAN: The Department of Statistics (DoS) said Sunday that the telecom sector witnessed a significant drop in gross production and added value to the economy in 2013 compared to 2012.
The sector’s gross production dropped by 17.3 per cent, standing at JD1.039 billion in 2013 compared to JD1.255 billion in 2012, DoS said in a statement released on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the International Telecommunication Union. Moreover, the sector’s added value dropped 22.4 per cent, standing at JD657.8 million in 2013 compared to JD847.4 million in 2012, according to the statement.
The number of mobile phone subscriptions increased by 85 per cent between the years 2009 and 2014, reaching 11.1 million, compared to 6 million subscriptions in 2009. In addition, the number of Internet users increased by 627 per cent between 2009 and 2014 — from 245,000 to 1.78 million. Surveys on the use of ICT services in houses conducted by DoS in 2013 revealed that 98.5 per cent of families have mobile phone subscriptions, 14 per cent have landlines, and 56 per cent own PCs, according to the statement. The ratio of computer users among people aged five and above stood at 52.2 per cent.
