The use of mobile and fixed internet services increased by 68 and 39 percent respectively within a 24-hour-period in Ramadan 2022 compared to last Ramadan, the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) said in its April report.
This comes in line with the rise of mobile internet users to 11 million and fixed internet users to around 980,000 within a single day of Ramadan 2022, the NTRA said without determining the specific date.
The use of internet globally has been on the rise over the past two years amid a surge in remote learning and working, online shopping, and other online activities due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Aside from remote online meetings — which declined by 2 percent across the country within a single day this Ramadan compared to last year — usage of other internet services has been increasing.
Watching short videos uploaded via apps like TikTok, Likee, etc increased by 158 percent. The number of these videos’ creators also rose to 17 million, and the total number of hours spent viewing this kind of content reached 3.5 million hours per day in total, the NTRA said.
Sending e-mails increased by 132 percent, along with the use of navigation services such as Google Maps, and Here We God rose by 111 percent.
Streaming apps and platforms — including Netflix, Shahid, and WatchIt — also attracted 33 million viewers, recording a 76 percent increase in watching movies and series via such apps.
Furthermore, online shopping via apps and websites like Amazon and Jumia increased by 47 percent, with the number of online shoppers reaching 10 million.
Additionally, social media platforms were visited by 35 million people, recording a 20 percent increase from the previous Ramadan.
The use of search engines and online gaming also increased by 19 percent, along with online chatting by 10 percent, and live video streaming by 9 percent.
Established in 2003, the NTRA acts as the national authority in charge of the regulation of the telecommunication sector, issuing periodic reports on the performance of mobile operators and internet usage in Egypt.