MANAMA: Three out of four respondents to a survey done by Bahrain’s telecommunications watchdog said they are satisfied with mobile and Internet services, citing improved international voice call quality and overall connectivity.
The results of Telecommunications Service Market Survey 2021 (Residential) have been posted by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) on its website on Wednesday with 73 per cent of those polled expressing satisfaction with mobile services, and nearly an equal number (72pc) stating they were content with Internet services in the kingdom.
Satisfaction with mobile services is driven by data connectivity and call quality, whereas pricing continues to be the key area where consumers desire more improvement, although they admitted it has improved as compared to previous years.
All those polled (100pc) have access to a mobile phone and mainly use it to make calls to other mobile phones; while 51pc of mobile phone users make International calls using their mobile phone service.
Better pricing and promotion is the key reason for switching between mobile service providers.
Based on a survey of 1,531 residential consumers, the study found that usage of mobile data to access the Internet increased in 2021, while average monthly spend on mobile declined last year.
Most respondents (93pc) use a single SIM card whereas the remaining use multiple cards mainly to separate business and personal numbers.
Respondents prefer OTT apps like WhatsApp as the preferred way of making international calls, with 100pc of those polled saying they use an OTT app to communicate.
Consumers who used roaming services prefer using a mobile roaming plan.
As for Internet usage, 72pc of those polled said they are satisfied with the service provided and an even higher number expressed contentment in terms of value for money.
Reduced charge is the main area of improvement along with better Internet service quality, while price remains the main reason for considering replacing fixed Internet with mobile.
Overall Internet satisfaction is driven by value perception and variety of packages available, and only 3pc of respondents switched their Internet service provider in the last 12 months mainly due to quality issues.
All respondents (100pc) said they have access to home Internet and everyone has used the Internet daily in the last three months, with those polled also saying they access Internet from anywhere in Bahrain.
On e-commerce, the survey found that the increased demand for online purchasing during 2020 (Covid-19 impact) when the shopping pattern moved towards remote sourcing of necessities like food and grocery items, has now gradually gone back to pre-pandemic levels.
Credit card continues to be the most used method for online purchases, although there has been an increase in debit card usage in 2021.
Cash on delivery is mainly used if required by suppliers and for reassurance once product is delivered.
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