Landlines in Cyprus fell in the first six months of this year, while users of mobile telephony increased by nearly 56,000, according to data released by the Office of the Commissioner for Electronic Communications and Postal Regulation (OCECPR).

In particular, during the first six months of 2021 a drop of 2.7 per cent was observed in total connections of landlines in relation to the second half of 2020.

The number of mobile telephone users was up significantly by 55,949 in the first six months of this year compared to the second half of 2020.

The ratio between mobile telephony users in relation to population of Cyprus was up by 6.3 per cent in the first six months of 2021, reaching 145.9 per cent.

Fixed broadband access was also significantly up by 6.2 per cent, with a speed rate of over 100Mbps, thanks to the continuous increase in fibre optic networks coverage in the island.

The average data volume per landline in the second quarter of 2021 ranged at 756.9 GB recording an increase of 8.5 per cent compared to the end of 2020. It also appears to be stable in relation with the first quarter of 2021.

“The upward trend of high-speed subscriptions (over 100Mbps) is expected to continue in the coming years,” the OCECPR said.

In relation to mobile broadband access, total data volume was down by 9.2 per cent in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the first quarter of the year, following a continuous upward trend of five months.