Malta’s mobile telephony landscape experienced significant shifts in 2023, with mobile subscriptions reaching 750,000, reflecting a 6.8% year-on-year growth. This brought the penetration rate to an impressive 135% of the population, up from 129.5% in 2022. However, users are moving away from traditional voice telephony, embracing data services and Voice over IP (VoIP) platforms such as WhatsApp and Messenger.

These trends are highlighted in the Malta Communications Authority (MCA) annual report, which provides an in-depth analysis of telephony, data services, postal services, and television sectors. A standout development in 2023 was the surge in post-paid plans, which made up nearly half of all mobile subscriptions by the year’s end. The narrowing gap between pre-paid and post-paid plans, from 63,972 in 2022 to just 938 in 2023, underscores a growing preference for data-centric, interconnected solutions.

Data usage soars while voice and SMS decline

Driven by demand for data-heavy applications like gaming, extended reality, and video streaming, mobile broadband data usage soared by 49% year-on-year. Total domestic data consumption skyrocketed from 79.15 billion MB in 2022 to 117.87 billion MB in 2023, equating to 162,454 MB per active subscriber.

In contrast, traditional communication methods like voice calls and SMSs continued to decline. Outgoing voice calls dropped by 3% to 494.88 million, with the average number of calls per user falling from 755 in 2022 to 682 in 2023. Similarly, SMS volumes plummeted by 10.3%, with users sending an average of 194 messages in 2023, down from 232 the previous year.

Market dynamics among providers

Three major operators dominate Malta’s mobile market: Epic, GO, and Melita. Epic strengthened its lead, growing its market share from 39.7% in 2022 to 42.0% in 2023. Meanwhile, GO and Melita saw slight declines, holding 34.4% and 23.6% of the market, respectively.

International roaming trends

Roaming services also saw an upward trend, fuelled by the EU’s “Roam-Like-at-Home” framework, which allows users to pay domestic rates for roaming until 2032. Inbound roaming calls grew by 8.8% to 41.4 million in 2023, while inbound roaming minutes increased by 2% to 128.06 million. Outbound roaming calls rose by 3%, reaching nearly 11 million, with outbound roaming minutes growing marginally by 0.3%.

The future of Malta’s mobile industry

As Malta transitions further into a data-driven digital environment, the decline in traditional telephony highlights changing consumer behaviours influenced by over-the-top (OTT) communication services. With mobile data consumption continuing to rise, the competitive edge in the telephony sector increasingly lies in broadband usage.

The MCA report paints a clear picture: Malta’s mobile industry is evolving rapidly, shaped by consumer demand for seamless, data-intensive connectivity. The trend toward post-paid, data-rich plans reflects a broader global shift, signalling an era where mobile communication is defined by digital experiences rather than traditional voice and SMS services.