Ammon News - AMMAN - The number of mobile internet users in Jordan is still relatively low but is likely to rise rapidly in the coming years as competition grows, Jordan Times reported, citing a survey by Pew Research Centre.

It found that around 94 per cent of Jordanians own mobile phones, but a minority uses them for internet access. The report indicated that 96 percent of mobile phone owners use them to make calls, 68 percent to send text messages, 47 percent to take pictures and videos, and only 22 per cent to use the internet.

Jawad Abbassi, founder and general manager of the Arab Advisers Group, told The Jordan Times that more people in the country are aware of the benefits of using the web on their mobiles and subscriptions will increase, especially as prices are competitive in the market.

The Pew report's statistics on mobile internet use in Jordan were similar to those from other countries in the region. Among Egyptian, Lebanese, and Tunisian mobile phone users, 14 percent, 24 percent and 20 percent respectively, use their phones to access the Internet, the survey showed. Mobile penetration in Jordan reached 138 per cent by the end of September, with about 8.77 million users, while internet penetration stood at 63 percent, according to recent figures from the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission. (Jordan Times)