Latest news with #TelecommunicationsRegulatoryCommission
Middle East Eye
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Internet and phone services slowly return to Gaza after outage
Internet and landline services are gradually resuming across Gaza City and the north of the Strip following a recent blackout, according to the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC), reported Wafa. Connectivity has also returned to central and southern areas after a three-day disruption caused by repeated Israeli attacks that severely damaged vital infrastructure. In a statement on Saturday evening, the TRC praised the work of telecom company crews, who managed to carry out repairs despite dangerous and complex conditions on the ground. The authority warned that Gaza's communications sector remains in crisis, with outages heavily affecting key services including healthcare, humanitarian relief, and education. The TRC urged protection for technicians and called for safe conditions that would allow service continuity, especially given the worsening humanitarian situation in the besieged enclave.
Middle East Eye
5 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Gaza telecom services cut off again by Israel
Telecommunications services have collapsed again across southern and central Gaza as Israel's offensive continues to damage critical infrastructure, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) reported Monday. The TRC said it's working with providers to assess outages and restore connectivity. "We're monitoring the situation hour by hour to support repair efforts," the regulator stated, while demanding protection for repair crews attempting to access damaged sites, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. Gaza has suffered repeated communication blackouts since October 2023, with the latest occurring after intense bombardment and generator fuel shortages last week. The TRC stressed the urgent need to maintain these vital services given Gaza's worsening humanitarian crisis.
Zawya
29-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
SMS use surges in Jordan as business demand grows, over 1.4bln in 2024
AMMAN — Despite the widespread use of social media platforms and messaging apps, SMS (short message service) technology continues to play a vital role in Jordan's digital communication landscape, offering tangible economic value to businesses across various sectors. Industry experts told The Jordan Times that SMS has evolved into a trusted and efficient channel for businesses to reach consumers directly, especially in sectors such as banking, delivery services, e-commerce and healthcare. 'While people might ignore app notifications, SMS is almost always read. It is direct, fast, and trusted,' said Bayan Khaled, a tech expert and manager at a leading local SMS gateway provider. According to official data from the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC), 1.434 billion text messages were exchanged via mobile networks in 2024, an increase of 334 million compared with 2023, representing 27 per cent year-on-year growth. The surge reflects not only changing individual communication habits but also growing reliance by businesses and public institutions on SMS for sending one-time passwords (OTPs), delivery confirmations, payment reminders, appointment alerts, and marketing campaigns, experts said. Lina Tahseen, an employee at a local marketing agency, said that the most notable rise in SMS traffic occurred in the fourth quarter of 2024, likely driven by holiday promotions and seasonal marketing, adding that 'End-of-year promotions and customer re-engagement messages flood our customers' platforms.' On average, Jordanians sent around 119.5 million text messages per month, around 4 million messages per day, across the country's three main mobile operators. While messaging apps dominate personal communication, stakeholders say SMS has maintained its competitive edge in business communication due to its high delivery and open rates across all types of mobile devices. Most SMS traffic was domestic, although international messaging still maintained a small yet active share, according to the TRC. Experts attribute the growth in SMS usage in part to the steady rise in mobile subscriptions in Jordan, which reached 8 million by the end of 2024, with the majority being prepaid lines. 'SMS may be old tech, but in business, it remains highly effective,' said Serin Ahmad, an employee at a retail shop. As Jordan continues to advance its digital transformation agenda, SMS is proving not to be a relic of the past, but rather a resilient tool adapting to the evolving needs of communication and commerce. © Copyright The Jordan Times. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Ammon
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Ammon
TRC calls on citizens to ignore unknown calls, messages
Ammon News - Chairman of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) Bassam Al-Sarhan, affirmed the commission's commitment to implementing ongoing awareness campaigns aimed at raising public awareness among citizens via various media outlets and social media platforms. The commission plays a pivotal role in raising citizens' awareness of the risks of electronic fraud, particularly via social media applications such as WhatsApp, in cooperation with a number of national institutions such as the National Cybersecurity Center, the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ), and the Public Security Directorate, Al-Sarhan said. He also indicated that these campaigns cover a variety of topics related to the risks of electronic fraud, particularly those related to calls and messages from unknown sources, and opening links sent via text messages or WhatsApp from unknown parties, stressing the need not to interact with or respond to such calls and messages.
Zawya
09-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Jordan: 5G, data usage, mobile subscriptions grow in Q4 2024
AMMAN — The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) on Thursday reported an expansion in telecommunications services across the Kingdom in the fourth quarter of 2024, driven by significant growth in data consumption and 5G adoption. According to the TRC's quarterly statistical report, cited by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, fixed-line voice service subscriptions reached some 486,000 by the end of Q4 2024, compared to 493,000 in Q4 2023, marking a 1.4 per cent decline. Residential users accounted for 67 per cent of the total, while commercial subscribers made up the remaining 33 per cent. Despite the drop in subscriptions, fixed-line call traffic rose by 6 per cent year-on-year, reaching 11.3 million call minutes, where 85 per cent of the total was local traffic between governorates and international calls accounted for 15 per cent. The number of mobile broadband subscriptions climbed to 8.046 million in Q4 2024, compared to 7.727 million a year earlier, marking a growth rate of 4.1 per cent. Prepaid plans accounted for 69 per cent of total mobile broadband subscriptions, while 31 per cent were post-paid. Voice and data subscriptions constituted 84 per cent of total mobile plans, with the remaining 16 per cent being data-only. Mobile voice traffic totalled 7.37 billion minutes, of which 97 per cent were domestic calls and 3 per cent international. Text messaging witnessed a dramatic increase, with 576 million messages sent in Q4 2024, compared to 260 million in the same period the previous year, showing an increase of 122 per cent. The mobile phone penetration rate reached 69 per cent of the total population and 106 per cent among individuals aged 15 and above by the end of Q4 2024, compared to 67 per cent and 104 per cent, respectively, in Q4 2023. Mobile broadband data usage reached some 658 million gigabytes in the fourth quarter, marking a 13 per cent rise from 580 million gigabytes (GB) in Q4 2023. Fixed broadband internet subscriptions rose slightly to some 812,000 by the end of Q4 2024, up from 805,000 in Q4 2023, reflecting a growth rate of 0.8 per cent and a household penetration rate of 33.4 per cent. Fiber-optic Internet continued to dominate with 591,000 subscriptions, representing 72.8 per cent of total fixed broadband subscriptions, while FBWA technology accounted for 17.9 per cent and xDSL for 8.8 per cent. Data consumption through fixed broadband services reached 1.339 billion GB in Q4 2024, compared to 1.161 billion GB in the same quarter of 2023, marking a 15 per cent increase. Average monthly fixed internet usage per subscription rose to 550 GB, up from 481 GB in Q4 2023, a growth rate of 14 per cent. Also, 5G mobile subscriptions witnessed exponential growth, reaching 112,900 in Q4 2024, registering an increase of nearly 60 per cent from the previous quarter and 800 per cent compared to Q4 2023. Leased line subscriptions also saw a 'notable' rise, totalling 24,143 by the end of the fourth quarter of 2024, up from 20,539 in Q4 2023, growing by 17.5 per cent. © Copyright The Jordan Times. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
