Latest news with #datausage
Zawya
07-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Jordan: TRC reports surge in broadband, 5 G subscriptions in Q1 2025
AMMAN — The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) on Wednesday published its statistical report for the first quarter of 2025, highlighting continued growth in broadband subscriptions, data consumption and mobile connectivity across the Kingdom. According to the report, the number of fixed voice service subscriptions stood at around 485,000 during the first quarter of 2025, compared with around 494,000 in the same period last year, a 1.9 per cent decline. Residential users accounted for 67 per cent of subscriptions, while business users made up the remaining 33 per cent. Despite the drop in subscriptions, total fixed-line call volume rose slightly to 9.8 million minutes in Q1 2025, up from 9.7 million minutes in Q1 2024, a growth rate of 1 per cent. Of the total call traffic, 84 per cent was domestic (between governorates), while international calls made up 16 per cent. The mobile broadband sector continued to expand, with total subscriptions reaching 8.03 million in Q1 2025, up from 7.79 million during the same period in 2024, a 3 per cent increase. Prepaid users accounted for 68 per cent of subscriptions, while 32 per cent were postpaid. Voice-and-data mobile lines represented 83 per cent of mobile subscriptions, while data-only lines made up the remaining 17 per cent. Mobile voice traffic totalled around 6.7 billion minutes, of which 97 per cent were domestic calls and 3 per cent international. The number of SMS messages sent during the first quarter surged to 423 million, compared with 233 million in Q1 2024, an increase of 81.5 per cent. Mobile penetration reached 68 per cent of the total population by the end of the first quarter, up from 67 per cent last year. When measured against the population aged 15 and above, the penetration rate stood at 105 per cent. Mobile broadband data usage reached about 675 million gigabytes during Q1 2025, compared with 610 million gigabytes in the same period of 2024, marking a growth rate of 10.7 per cent. In the fixed broadband sector, total subscriptions rose to 818,000 in Q1 2025, up from 799,000 in Q1 2024, a 2.5 per cent increase. This corresponds to a household penetration rate of 33.5 per cent. Of the total fixed broadband subscriptions, 74 per cent were fibre-optic (FTTH) connections, reaching 607,000 subscriptions by the end of the quarter. Fixed Broadband Wireless Access (FBWA) accounted for 17 per cent of subscriptions, while xDSL made up 8 per cent. Fixed broadband data usage totalled 1.4 billion gigabytes in Q1 2025, up from 1.2 billion gigabytes during the same period in 2024, a 13 per cent increase. Average monthly consumption per subscription rose from 521 GB to 575 GB, a 10.4 per cent increase. The report also revealed that 5G mobile subscriptions reached 225,996 during the first quarter of 2025. Additionally, leased line service subscriptions increased to 24,600 by the end of the quarter, compared with 21,000 in Q1 2024, a growth rate of 17.1 per cent.
Al Jazeera
03-07-2025
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Water For Data
What's the environmental cost of our increasing data usage? Our appetite for data is growing fast. And so is the number of data centres filled with computer servers. They store and process the data generated by our online activity, from social media to shopping to cloud storage. And they consume massive amounts of water and electricity. Big Tech companies are building data centres in places like drought-stricken Queretaro, in Mexico. We met some of the locals who are struggling to get by on rationed water as more of these thirsty facilities are built nearby.
BBC News
30-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Channel Islanders paying more for broadband than in 2020
People in the Channel Islands are spending more money on their broadband bills now than they were in 2020.A report from Jersey Statistics found the average monthly spend by customers in Guernsey went up by 16% to £86.55, and in Jersey by just under 8% to £82.17, from 2020 to prices did not keep up with inflation on the islands which went up in by 27.3% and 30% respectively in the same and Jersey's two biggest broadband providers, Sure and JT, both said they "remained committed to supporting customers", and highlighted changing consumer habits as one reason for rising costs. The report highlighted a rise in data usage by customers on both islands, and a drop in average monthly SMS messages and call minutes.A spokesperson for Sure said it wanted its deals to be "cost-effective"."We understand that value matters more than ever, especially as industries across the board face rising costs due to inflation," Mike Fawkner-Corbett, acting chief commercial officer said."We're committed to helping our customers stay connected in the most cost-effective way possible."JT said because of working from home and streaming, broadband services now "play a much bigger role in the way people live"."Consumer usage patterns have evolved significantly," Pip Carpenter, head of commercial markets at JT said."On-island mobile data consumption is up 40% since 2020, and the average user now consumes around 10 GB per month."We regularly review our services to ensure they remain competitive and responsive to our customers' changing needs."
Daily Mail
26-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Travel expert urges holidaymakers to change this phone setting before boarding a plane - and it could save you hundreds
As the holiday season ramps up, many travellers will be ticking off their pre-flight checklists: passports, chargers, and even a few downloaded playlists or movies. But, according to a travel expert, one overlooked phone setting could end up costing holidaymakers hundreds in unexpected roaming charges. Georgia Brivida, of international SIM provider Sim Local, is urging Brits to switch off the 'autoplay' feature on their phones before boarding their next flight. The setting, she says, could quietly drain data and rack up a significant phone bill - often without users even realising it. She explained: 'Autoplay is a feature that automatically plays videos as you scroll through apps like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube, often without you even tapping play. 'It's fine when you're connected to Wi-Fi at home but when you're abroad and paying per megabyte, it can quietly burn through your data in no time just from using your phone like you normally would.' While it might seem harmless to scroll through social media or stream a short video to kill time at the airport, the data usage can add up rapidly. Streaming a video on platforms like YouTube or Netflix for just 10 minutes can use up to 100MB of data. In addition, scrolling through TikTok or Instagram uses around 20MB, while general web browsing can consume about 10MB. Listening to music or podcasts on Spotify may use around 15MB. That means spending just 30 minutes on TikTok while waiting at the gate could use roughly 60MB. Meanwhile, watching a few videos while sipping coffee at the airport could quickly burn through another 200MB. Add in a couple of Google searches, a quick map check, and a short WhatsApp call, and you could easily use over 300MB in a single day - and that's only day one of your trip. Without a suitable international data plan, multiple days of this kind of usage could push your phone bill into the hundreds. Fortunately, the fix is simple and takes only a few seconds. For iPhone users (iOS): Open the Settings app. Tap on Accessibility. Select Motion. Toggle off 'Auto-Play Video Previews.' For Android users: Open the Settings app. Scroll down and select Google. Tap on All Services. Choose Search, Assistant & Voice. Select Other Settings. Tap on "Autoplay video previews" and select 'Never.'
Irish Times
13-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Letters to the Editor, June 13th: On climate target fines, mortgages and the sound of silence
Sir, – I've been a keen recycler and energy saver all my life. I guess my parents drilled it into me. After all, they grew up in the aftermath of the second world war, and I was a teenager in the Ireland of the 1980s, a time when electricity blackouts and queues at the petrol pumps were a regular occurrence. To this day I'm careful to switch off the lights when I leave a room. I try to find a good home or second use for everything before I consign it to landfill. I wouldn't dream of turning on the washing machine between 5pm and 7pm or of throwing a glass bottle into anything other than a bottle bank. I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I do my best to try to protect this planet for future generations. But now I read that data centres accounted for a fifth of Irish electricity usage in 2024! Is it time now to add Google and ChatGPT to my list of 'Don'ts' to protect the environment and help Ireland reach its climate targets? That being said, I'm quietly confident that all the energy consumed by Irish data centres is being driven by a worldwide thirst for data, not merely an Irish one. Remind me again who will pay the enormous fines if/when we do not reach our climate targets? – Yours, etc, READ MORE RACHEL MCCORMAC, Blackrock, Co Dublin. Buying a house and renting Sir, – John McManus ( 'Government had to choose tenants over investors,' June 11th) claims that the Government had to choose tenants over investors by introducing a rent control strategy. Some might claim that the Government is choosing investors by assuring them of long term rental income. If some tenants in the future cannot pay the rent, the State will have to pay. I felt very sorry for the thousands of young people who will never be able to own a house in Ireland. It is sad that at a time when increasing numbers are finding employment here, they cannot afford to buy homes. Will they be content to rent all their lives or will they emigrate? In the 1970s, the State built corporation houses , those estates still provide homes for buyers. At that time too, many low income state employees were able to avail of special mortgages, and there was some tax relief available for interest payments on home loans. Now, the State is richer than it ever was, why does it not invest more in housing? As investors know it is an excellent long term investment. – Yours, etc, DR EVELYN MAHON Fellow Emerita, School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College , Dublin 2. Sir, – Margaret Ward writes about the cost of child care in Ireland, which is a significant issue, though one which has received large amounts of subsidy over the last number of years, as have the costs of children generally. ( 'Childcare in Ireland: 'Even as well-paid professionals, it was an exhausting struggle. The numbers never added up,' June 12th). However, it would seem to me, that this is a case of the cobblers' children having no shoes and that an underlying and often overlooked issue is not the cost of childcare, but the cost of a mortgage. A mortgage of €2,500 a month, 20 years ago would have been a colossal amount of money to pay, it still is, despite inflation of wages over the last number of years. High rents currently would also contribute to normalising this figure now. This cost would cover many workers full monthly salary alone. Financial advisors recommend to fit comfortably under 30 per cent of your net pay you'd have to earn a minimum of €7,500 a month net of tax and more to be actually comfortable. There are people who do, but this is out of the reach of most, not to mind 20 years ago. This exemplifies a common problem in our housing problems. Couples, in particular, will push up the price of a house as they want to ensure a purchase, though estate agents also have a role to play here. They forget further expenses coming down the line such as the cost of children, leaving room for flexible working arrangements or god forbid, something serious happens meaning they can't work at all and then they are stuck. Not to mind being able to live life with a few little perks such as a night out or a takeaway coffee in order to grease the wheels of life. This behaviour has an impact on other buyers too, for example, single buyers, who can't compete with two salaries and are left out of the market altogether – they get nothing in the way of cost of living supports of any sort from the government. Certainly better transparency when purchasing would help as there is often very little clarity here regarding bids and alternative bidders but also cutting your cloth to your measure with a bit of forward thinking is important too. – Yours, etc, NIAMH BYRNE, Fairview, Dublin 3. Sir, – We have a gigantum housing shortage; each year supply increasingly falls short of demand. As someone involved in housing policy for over 50 years can I ask for help? In what way does this Government 'new initiative' increase housing supply or enable more affordable home purchase? – Yours ,etc, GREG MAXWELL, Celbridge, Co Kildare. Pension overpayments Sir, – Minister Jack Chambers, in commenting on the overpayments and underpayments of pensions to politicians and retired civil servants, notes that the errors arose from administrative errors in the National Shared Services Office and were not the fault of any of the individuals impacted ( 'Ministers may owe thousands due to pension errors ', June 11th). This is fair enough. All the same, if I were a retired senior civil servant who had been overpaid €280,000 in my pension I think I might have suspected something was amiss. – Yours, etc, PAT O'BRIEN, Rathmines, Dublin 6. The bugle sounds again Sir, – Frank McNally's Irishman's Diary of June 11th, which referenced a fox-hunting story in Wexford that had unwelcome consequences, reminded me of one from my childhood that had a more benign outcome. The Bree Hunt (also in Wexford) usually chased foxes in our area after Christmas and into early Spring. The hunt leader /hound master (usually in a red coat) controlled the dogs by way of a bugle. Now as it happened one year, my brothers and I got toy bugles from Santa. When the hunt came our way shortly after Christmas, we thought it would be fun to blow our bugles to see how things might work out. As the hounds were in full chase of a fox on our neighbour's land we struck up a cacophony that diverted the pack to our farmyard. The agitated hound master followed and, fearing the worst, we hid in the barn. He remonstrated with my father who just shrugged and pointed in the direction that the hounds had taken. As the Red Coat took off with expletives filling the air, my father strolled up the yard, hands behind his back and a little smile on his face. The episode was not mentioned again for years!! – Yours, etc, PATRICK HOWLIN. Milltown, Dublin 14, Sustainable energy supply Sir, – Eamon Ryan makes the obvious and valid point that Ireland needs an energy supply that is sustainable, competitive and secure. He is also correct to state that the government's recent decision to proceed with a State -owned floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility is wrong, based on cost, delivery and that it will drive up methane emissions. ('We don't need a liquid natural gas facility. There is a better way', June 10th). Because of the real risk in depending on the two subsea gas pipes from Scotland providing 80 per cent of our natural gas, he suggests building two more from Britain which of course would be hugely expensive and equally exposed to malicious or accidental damage. Crucially, Britain's gas supply is decreasing, and the Labour party policy is to reduce oil and gas production even further. Mr Ryan also suggests building more battery storage which at best will provide short term backup supply and given the increasingly prolonged becalmed weather patterns, will be totally inadequate. According to Eirgrid daily wind data ( over the last seven weeks or so, very little electricity was produced by wind, averaging only around 10 GWh per day. The increasing unreliability of wind power is a major problem which must be acknowledged and addressed in a serious and urgent manner. While it may not please Mr Ryan, the only long-term solution in the circumstances is to rely on relatively clean natural gas as backup to ensure our economy and society with sustainable, cost effective and secure supply. And better again, to have our own native natural gas supply as proposed in a formal policy statement by the Irish government in 2019. Mr Ryan fails to mention two distinctly possible solutions. One is to advance and facilitate the gas field at InishKea near Corrib just off the Mayo coast, and urgently reassess and invest in the vast potential of the independently proven oil and gas field at Barryroe, just off the Cork coast, which as energy minister, he closed in 2023. Development of these fields will provide Ireland with complete independence for decades to come as we move slowly to install more renewables. Significantly, it will eliminate our dependence on expensive, unreliable imported supplies and substantially reduce Ireland's carbon footprint. The other alternative is to investigate small modern nuclear reactors currently being developed by companies such as Rolls Royce and Westinghouse. – Yours, etc, JOHN LEAHY, Wilton Road, Cork. Voluntary hospitals Sir, – A recent editorial in The Irish Times suggested that Ireland's voluntary hospitals are somehow opaque, or structurally flawed. This characterisation is not only unfair – it is also demonstrably inaccurate. Voluntary hospitals are governed by independent boards with deep clinical, governance, and financial expertise. They are subject to robust State oversight – through HIQA, HSE service arrangements, the Department of Health and the Charities Regulator. Far from diminishing accountability, this structure enhances it, ensuring stronger scrutiny and longer-term stewardship. These hospitals have been at the forefront of Irish healthcare for generations – from the first transplant surgery in 1963 to pioneering clinical trials today. Last year alone, they provided care to nearly two million patients. When serious failings occur in healthcare, they have profound and deeply human consequences. They deserve full accountability and urgent reform. Thanks to external and independent governance, serious issues in voluntary hospitals are rare – and when they arise, they are more likely to be identified and addressed. It would be wrong to let questions arising in one context undermine confidence in an entire sector. The work of dozens of institutions, hundreds of board members and thousands of healthcare professionals should not be diminished by generalisations that overlook the strength, accountability and enduring value of the voluntary hospital model. Voluntary hospitals are not a vulnerability in the system. They are among its greatest strengths. –Yours etc., MO FLYNN, Chief executive, Irish Voluntary Healthcare Association, Dublin. Department name change Sir, – On behalf of the board of Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann, we wish to voice our opposition to the changing of the name of the 'Department Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media' to the 'Department of Culture, Communication and Sport'. PEN is an organisation of writers and while we appreciate that the new name is more concise, the dropping of the word 'Arts' from the title is a diminishing of the special role of the arts and artists in Irish society. Our culture and the arts are two distinct parts of our national identity, and both words deserve inclusion in the Department name. Although the Department may continue to fund and support the arts in practice, removing the word from its name sends a troubling message: that the arts are no longer considered worthy of explicit recognition. As an all-island organisation, we also note with disappointment the removal of the word 'Gaeltacht' from the department name. Ireland's writers, artists, performers, and creators have long been celebrated both at home and abroad as essential to our cultural fabric. We urge the Government to reconsider this change and restore the rightful place of the arts in the Department's name.– Yours, etc. Liz McManus and Pádraig Hanratty Co-chairs, Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann, Co Louth. A novel way of reading Ulysses Sir, – Maggie Armstrong's approach to reading Ulysses at the rate of six pages per night lead to her understandable title: (' Reading Ulysses can completely suck the life out of you and your family ' June 11th). An approach that worked perfectly for me was firstly to read a significant amount about the book before embarking on reading it. Secondly, I decided to only read the book when I was in front of a computer screen. Unfamiliar words or phrases, people or places were immediately Googled. I thoroughly enjoyed all the rabbit holes I went down and was never concerned about reaching the end of the book by a particular deadline. I can recommend this method if you want to have a gratifying experience. – Yours, etc, JOE DUNNE, Cork. Sir, – Ray Burke's Irishman's Diary on book censorship made me think of my Dad. He read Ulysses wrapped in brown paper back in the 1930s when it was banned. He raised his eyebrows when my brother told him it was on his course in UCD in the 1960s and raised them even more when I told him it was on my recommended reading list for my Leaving Cert in 1970. I still haven't finished it! – Yours, etc, GRÁINNE MEYER, Germany. Public transport fit for purpose Sir, – Recent letter writers noted the lack of courtesy on public transport as they use the free travel pass, available to the over 66s. I prefer to reframe. I'm fit enough to use the service, most passengers are still in the workforce, paying their fare, more have small children, lugging buggies and shopping. I'm a bit chuffed when I don't appear to to be in need of their pre-paid spot. There are designated seats for those more frail and, in time, when I'm in need , I'll use my voice. Until then, I'm not proud. Any offer of a seat is always accepted. – Yours, etc, NUALA GALLAGHER, Dublin 15
