Albania "abandons" SMS, internet dominates mobile communication

The Internet is increasingly becoming the main means of communication for Albanians. The latest AKEP data for the first quarter of 2026 show a clear change in citizens' behavior: more internet use, fewer phone calls and much less SMS.

In the first three months of the year alone, Albanians consumed around 68 million gigabytes of internet from mobile networks, an increase of over 22% compared to the same period last year. This is one of the strongest increases in recent years and shows that communication is shifting almost entirely towards online platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok or other communication applications.

On the other hand, traditional telephone use is gradually declining. Call minutes have fallen by nearly 6%, while SMS by over 11%. In practice, citizens are speaking and writing less in the classic way and are using the internet more for video calls, messages or communication on social networks.

This is also reflected in the average monthly consumption. A mobile user in Albania uses around 11 gigabytes of internet per month, while sending an average of only 11 SMS. This is a clear indication that SMS is losing the role it once had.

The report also shows that in Albania there are about 2 million active mobile internet users and approximately 2.4 million active mobile phone users.

Meanwhile, the number of active SIM cards has decreased by over 8% compared to last year. This is interpreted as a trend where citizens are holding fewer phone numbers, but are using the internet more intensively on the devices they have.

Another interesting development is related to the way mobile services are paid for. Although prepayment remains dominant, the gap with postpaid subscribers has narrowed significantly. This shows that users are increasingly looking for fixed internet packages and combined services, especially for continuous online use.

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