Over two billion SMSes sent
Namibians spent 46 357 hours talking on the phone from July to September this year.
This is equivalent to nearly 2.8 million minutes in three months at a cost of N$659 million.
It is, however, a decline when compared to the N$702 million spent on cellphone calls in the second quarter of the year.
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According to the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia's quarterly report, the decline is the result of people moving to online communication.
"Voice revenue declined slightly from N$702 million to N$695 million, reflecting the ongoing shift to internet-based communication platforms," the report says.
Mobile outgoing minutes increased by 8%, marking the second consecutive quarter of recovery after the decline recorded in the first quarter.
Mobile Telecommunication Limited (MTC) recorded a 9% increase in mobile outgoing minutes, and TN Mobile recorded a 1% increase.
"The recovery in voice traffic may be attributed to adjustments in consumer calling behaviour following seasonal patterns, as well as promotional calling packages introduced during the quarter," the report reads.
Phone user Celien Kabanje says the majority of the calls she makes are to friends and family, and as a young professional there is not always time to meet with friends in person.
She says making phone calls is a quick way to vent to friends immediately when she needs to.
"The people I call the most are friends, and we normally discuss life issues and school," Kabanje says.
Another phone user, Desmond Tjinouhona, says he spends a lot of time on phone calls counselling his friends.
He says this could take up a lot of time.
"I often call friends trying to resolve matters that are personal to them, and therefore I don't think it's wasting time or airtime," he says.
Meanwhile, SMS revenue has decreased from N$149 million to N$147 million. This is after over two billion messages were sent during the three months under scrutiny.
The majority of these messages were sent from MTC numbers.
The report shows this is consistent with the continued substitution of traditional messaging with instant messaging services.
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However, SMS volumes increased slightly by 1%, showing signs of stabilisation after previous declines.
Telecom Namibia saw a decrease in both its on-net (within its own network) and off-net (to other networks) voice calls.
According to the report, this suggests that people are using traditional fixed-line phones less.
Meanwhile, Paratus Telecom experienced a 5% increase in outgoing voice over internet protocol calls, and a 7% rise in international outgoing calls.
"This shows that more people are switching from traditional landline phones to internet-based voice calls and making more international calls using data services," the report reads.
The total number of active SIM cards increased by 3%.
This was mainly due to prepaid subscriptions, which increased by 3%, while postpaid subscriptions experienced a mere 1% increase.
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