SMS traffic surges domestically as international messages drop in El Salvador

El Salvador’s telecom regulator reported a 32.6% rise in total SMS traffic during the fourth quarter of 2025, reaching 272.8 million messages, up from 205.6 million in the same period of 2024. Domestic outbound messages increased 25.6% to 167.8 million, and inbound messages rose to 105.0 million. In contrast, cross‑border SMS fell 18.9% to just over 6.2 million. Mobile line numbers also grew to 12.0 million, with the majority (≈10.2 million) on prepaid plans. The data highlights a continued reliance on traditional text messaging within the country despite global shifts toward internet‑based messaging apps.

The report shows that multimedia messaging (MMS) remains marginal, with around 30,000 messages sent, while data‑enabled services continue expanding, with over 6.7 million users having active data plans.