BUSINESSES doing transactions over mobile phones more than doubled while those with social media accounts nearly doubled in 2019, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Based on the final results of the 2019 Survey on Information and Communication Technology (SICT) for the Information Economy (IE), establishments that had business transactions via mobile phones increased 133.1 percent to 2,280 firms in 2019 from 978 in 2017.
The SICT data also showed that firms with social media accounts increased 94.9 percent to 2,839 firms in 2019 from 1,457 in 2017.
“The IE is a term used to describe the economic and social value created through the ability to rapidly exchange information at any time, anywhere to anyone,” the PSA said citing data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad).
“A distinctive characteristic of the IE is the intensive use by businesses of ICT for the collection, storage, processing and transmission of information. The use of ICT is supported by supply of ICT products from an ICT-producing sector and through trade,” it added.
PSA said IE industries engaged in ICT service industries posted the highest number of 1,437 establishments using cellular mobile phone/smartphone in their business transactions.
The data also showed that IE industries engaged in ICT manufacturing industries had the least with only 55 establishments.
Among the IE industries with social media accounts, the data showed, ICT service industries had the highest number of 1,745 establishments with social media accounts.
The PSA said firms that had the least social media accounts were those engaged in ICT manufacturing industries with 67 establishments.
The PSA estimates that there was a total of 5,542 establishments under the IE in 2019. Of these establishments, 5,533 establishments owned and used computers and communication equipment in their business operations.
This was 52.2-percent higher than the number of establishments with ownership and usage of computers and communication equipment in 2017 at 3,635 establishments.
There are two sectors under IE, namely, “ICT” sector and “Content and Media” sector. All establishments under the “Content and Media” sector owned and used computers and communication equipment in 2019.
For the ICT sector, only those engaged in ICT manufacturing industries had a 100-percent ownership and usage of computers and communication equipment.