Just three per cent of the Maltese do not have a mobile subscription, most of them aged over 65.

The Malta Communications Authority survey, carried out every two years, said the three per cent either found no need for a mobile connection or considered that using a mobile handset was too complicated.

The complications of mobile phones determined a number of other findings. For example, only two out of every three mobile users has a smartphone, and half of the ones that prefer to stick to a standard set said it was because they were too complicated and that their handset did all they needed it to do. And once again,  half of these were over 65.

Half of the survey respondents with a mobile subscription use OTT-based activities (like WhatsApp or Messenger), four out of every five of them on a daily basis. Almost all of these saying they consider messaging services such as Whatsapp and Messenger as substitutable to traditional SMS services.

When it comes to choosing a provider, 54 per cent cited good customer care service as an essential factor. A third said that their choice depended on the perceived value for money and the choices made by family and friends.

Four out over every five on a pre-paid plan reported an average monthly financial outlay of less than €20 per month. Just 29 per cent of respondents on a post-paid plan reported a similar outlay, while 47 per cent reported paying over €20 per month for their mobile services.