The report, which includes data up to December 2024, shows that broadband access is growing steadily. In the past year, more and more households and companies have switched to faster connections. The number of fixed-line broadband connections increased slightly, but the biggest change was in speed: connections with at least 100 Mbps recorded a sharp increase in the last six months alone. Ultra-fast connections with over 1 Gbit/s are also becoming more common and now account for almost 5 percent of all connections.

Older Internet technologies such as xDSL are losing importance. Last year, the number of xDSL connections fell by 10 percent and now accounts for only 17 percent of the market. Fiber-optic lines, on the other hand, increased by 12 percent and now dominate the market with over 63 percent of all subscriptions. Cable Internet connections also recorded a slight decline and held a market share of 19.6 percent.

The mobile communications sector is also growing. In 2024, the number of mobile phone contracts increased by more than 76,000. More and more people are opting for contract tariffs; almost 60 percent now opt for unlimited data, calls and messages. At the same time, the number of prepaid contracts fell by around 11,000. The demand for mobile internet is increasing rapidly, and more and more people are using their data via their mobile phones. This change has slightly reduced the share of fixed-line broadband usage.

Internet use is at an all-time high. In the last quarter of 2024, the average fixed-line connection consumed around 1.1 terabytes of data. Overall, data usage in mobile and fixed networks increased by almost 19 percent compared to the previous year.

Traditional landlines are becoming increasingly rare. In 2024, there were 24,000 fewer fixed-line connections than in the previous year. Those who still use fixed-line connections are usually connected via fiber-optic networks, which now account for almost 77 percent of all fixed-line connections. As Cyprus rapidly modernizes its digital infrastructure, experts predict that fiber optic and high-performance mobile networks will shape the country's internet future.

Source: CyprusMail.com

Author: Charalambos Stylianou