By Staff Writer
Mobile phones are taking over the communications market in Samoa by 90 percent as fixed landline phones cling desperately to 10 per cent and fading quickly.
These are the numbers last recorded from about 5 years ago.
The Bureau of Statistics recently released figures from the 2001-2016 Population and Housing Census, confirmed the mobile phone technology take over since it caught up with Samoa at the start of the 20th century.
Out of about 23,000 households surveyed in 2001 a mere 8 per cent had mobile phones compared to 92% with landlines.
By 2006 it was starting to level up when mobile phones jumped to 48 percent to close in on the landlines at 52 per cent.
In the next 10 years that followed mobile phones charged to a commanding 90 percent leap in households with landlines gasping at 10 per cent.
The more populated Apia Urban Area and North West Upolu are where most of the takeover changes were taking place according to the survey.
The technology that made mobile phones possible in Samoa also pumped up the interest in Internet connections for the same 15-year period surveyed.
Out of the same selected number of about 23,000 households covered by the Bureau of Statistics Census survey only 3 per cent or just under 700 were hooked up to the Internet in 2001.
By 2011 the number nudged up to 7.3 per cent or just over 1900 households connected to the Internet.
By 2016 the number of connected household shot up to 70.3 per cent or just over 20,000.
The blistering charge of the mobile phone takeover is unclear whether it will push out the presence of landline phones completely until the statistics from the next 5-year national household survey comes out.
The Internet hookup influence has already made its presence felt inside and outside Samoa with the controversial social media impact at practically all levels of society.
The most noticeable influence is the general elections last April that is still going strong.
