Cellular mobile telephone subscribers outnumber fixed line telephone subscribers by 15 to 1

Cellular mobile telephone subscribers outnumber
fixed line telephone subscribers by 15 to 1
(FS-200801-NS1-01, posted 21 November2008)

In 2007, the total number of cellular mobile telephone (CMT) subscribers was estimated at 57.3 million, almost 15 times more than the number of fixed line telephone subscribers estimated at 3.9 million. Data from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) also show that CMT subscription started to outnumber fixed line subscription in 2000 when it registered a ratio of 2 to 1.

The 2007 level of CMT subscribers is 57.3% higher compared to its 2006 level of 42.9 million while the number of fixed line telephone subscribers only grew by 3.9% from 3.6 million in 2006.

For the period 2000 to 2007, the number of CMT subscribers continuously increased at an annual average growth rate of 31.4% while that of fixed telephones only increased at 3.2%.

NTC data further reveal that in 2007, CMT density was estimated at 65.93 per 100,000 population and fixed line telephone density in the country was estimated at 8.24 per 100,000 population.

Figure 1. Number of fixed line telephone and mobile cellular telephone subscribers:
1994 – 2007

Source: National Telecommunication Commission

Among the regions in the country, the National Capital Region has the highest fixed line telephone density at 29.53 per 100,000 population followed by Region IV¹ (Southern Tagalog) and Region VII (Central Visayas) at 7.77 and 7.52, respectively in 2007. Meanwhile, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has the lowest at 0.81.

Among the provinces in 2007, Agusan del Norte posted the highest telephone density at 12.19 followed by Cavite and Benguet with telephone densities of 11.15 and 10.66, respectively. On the other hand, the province of Sulu had the lowest telephone density at 0.05 per 100,000 population.

Both indicators on telephone lines per 100,000 population and cellular subscribers per 100 population are Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicators under Goal 8. In the Philippines, both indicators show an increasing trend since 1994 implying that the MDG target of making available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications in cooperation with the private sector, will be achieved by the Philippines by 2015.

Figure 2. Telephone Density by Province: 2007 (per 100,000 population)

¹ There is no separate data for Region IV-A (CALABARZON) and Region IV-B (MIMAROPA)

Source of basic data: National Telecommunications Commission