telecoms
March 03, 2010, 10:21 CET
Subscriber numbers at biggest cable, satellite and IPTV companies climb 17,000
Hungary's 14 biggest cable, satellite and internet television companies had 2,489,000 subscribers at the end of December, 17,000 more than a month earlier, the National Telecommunications Office (NHH) told MTI on Tuesday. Magyar Telekom, Invitel, UPC, FiberNet, DIGI, PR TELEKOM,... [read complete entry]
February 18, 2010, 10:30 CET
Hungary broadband ADSL, cable subscription number rises 230,000 in 2009
The number of broadband ADSL and cable subscriptions rose 230,000 or 15pc in Hungary in 2009, the National Communications Authority (NHH) said on Wednesday. The number of broadband ADSL and cable subscriptions grew 25,000 in December, totalling 1.742m at the... [read complete entry]
February 18, 2010, 10:26 CET
Hungary active mobile subscription number grows 19,000 in January
The number of active mobile subscriptions in Hungary grew 19,000 to 10.95m and the total number of mobile phone subscriptions rose 42,000 to 11.834m in January, the National Communications Authority (NHH) reported on Wednesday. The number of mobile phone subscriptions... [read complete entry]
February 15, 2010, 10:39 CET
Pannon GSM to lay off 250 people
Telenor unit Pannon GSM, Hungary's second-biggest mobile telephone service provider, plans to lay off 250 people, including 200 employees and 50 contracted workers, the company told MTI on Friday. Pannon wants to cut payroll costs by HUF 1.9bn in 2010... [read complete entry]
January 22, 2010, 10:28 CET
NHH requires mobile subscribers to ask before using premium text messaging
Hungary's National Telecommunications Authority (NHH) has decided to allow premium text messaging only for those mobile phone subscribers who specifically ask their service providers. While T-Mobile, which leads Hungary's mobile market, has accepted the new rule, peers Pannon and Vodafone... [read complete entry]
January 20, 2010, 09:20 CET
Magyar Telekom wins Tópark tender worth millions of euros
Magyar Telekom's corporate division, T-Systems, has won a tender to build a communications network and supply infocommunications services for ten years to Topark, a residential and commercial development on the outskirts of Budapest, Topark's operator told MTI. T-Systems beat five... [read complete entry]
January 19, 2010, 09:51 CET
Hungary mobile phone subscriptions falls over 400,000 in 2009
The growth of Hungary's mobile phone market was interrupted last year as the total number of mobile phone subscriptions fell almost 432,000 from twelve months earlier to 11,792,000, however, the number of post-paid subscriptions rose by 363,000, the National Telecommunications... [read complete entry]
December 29, 2009, 11:10 CET
Hungary mobile market expected to continue shrinking in 2010
Hungary's mobile telecommunications market is likely to continue to contract in 2010, albeit at a slower rate than the 5-8pc drop in 2008, the heads of the country's three mobile service providers told MTI. Hungary's mobile telecommunications market could contract... [read complete entry]
December 07, 2009, 09:29 CET
Internal investigation at Magyar Telekom pinpoints €31 million in fraud
Magyar Telekom's audit committee has wound up its four-year internal investigation into contracts signed by the company's Montenegrin and Macedonian units in the middle of the decade. The company hired White & Case as independent legal counsel to carry out... [read complete entry]
December 02, 2009, 01:27 CET
Austrian firm to target Hungarian seniors with special mobile phones
Austria's Emporia Telecom will soon begin selling mobile telephones designed for the elderly at shops in Hungary, the business daily Vilaggazdasag reported on Wednesday. Emporia Telecom owner-director Eveline Pupeter-Fellner told the newspaper that T-Mobile would begin marketing the simple-to-use, large-screen... [read complete entry]
December 02, 2009, 10:50 CET
Number of fixed-line phones falls to 3 million in Hungary
The number of landline telephone connections in Hungary fell to 3,080,000 at the end of October or 30.75 lines per hundred people, the National Telecommunications Authority (NHH) said on Monday. Landline penetration fell to 61.67pc of households by the end... [read complete entry]
December 02, 2009, 10:48 CET
Broadband ADSL, cable subscriptions top 1.7 million
The number of broadband ADSL and cable subscriptions in Hungary reached 1,724,000 at the end of October, 63,000 more than a month earlier and up 217,000 from twelve months earlier, the National Telecommunications Authority (NHH) said on Monday. The number... [read complete entry]
November 26, 2009, 09:20 CET
Mobile internet subscriptions in Hungary top 800,000
The number of mobile internet subscribers rose by 36,000 in October and had reached 803,000 by the end of the first ten months, the National Communications Authority (NHH) announced yesterday. Users of the three mobile phone subscribers generated total traffic... [read complete entry]
November 16, 2009, 07:45 CET
Vodafone Hungary sees 5.5% Q3 revenue drop as overall market dives further
Revenue of the Hungarian unit of UK mobile service provider Vodafone fell 5.5pc in Q3, while revenue of the mobile services market as a whole slipped 6pc, showing cost cuts and improved efficiency, the unit's CEO Gyorgy Beck told MTI.... [read complete entry]
November 06, 2009, 10:33 CET
Magyar Telekom CEO says firm to become leader in pay TV market
Hungarian telecom company Magyar Telekom plans to become a leader in Hungary's pay television market within five years, Chairman and CEO Christopher Mattheisen said on Thursday, Dow Jones reported. Magyar Telekom currently has a market share of 22pc-23pc, which expanded... [read complete entry]
September 24, 2009, 09:42 CET
Mobile group Pannon inaugurates new "green" headquarters in Budapest
Pannon, the Hungarian mobile services unit of Telenor, inaugurated an environmentally-friendly headquarters on the outskirts of Budapest on Tuesday, business daily Vilaggazdasag reported on Wednesday. Compared to a conventional building, the new headquarters will cut down on CO2 emissions equivalent... [read complete entry]
September 22, 2009, 09:22 CET
Authorities expand corruption probe of Magyar Telekom
Magyar Telekom on Tuesday said the Hungarian National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) informed the company it had extended the scope of an ongoing investigation into alleged misappropriation of funds to examine possible misuse of personal data of employees. The NBI... [read complete entry]
September 22, 2009, 08:43 CET
New entry in Hungary's emerging Internet Protocol Television market
Interware Internet Szolgáltató Zrt will be the fourth Hungarian company in the Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) market, reports vg.hu. The service will include over 80 channels - five of which are HD - and will be provided on Magyar Telekom's... [read complete entry]
September 16, 2009, 11:05 CET
Gov't expects Ft 20 billion from sale of mobile frequency licenses in '10
The 2010 budget bill targets revenue of about HUF 20bn from the sale of mobile communications frequency licenses, the text of the bill reveals. Hungary's National Telecommunications Authority (NHH) called a tender for the sale of seven new mobile frequencies... [read complete entry]
August 27, 2009, 10:36 CET
Mobile Internet subscriptions continue to show strong growth
The number of mobile internet subscriptions in Hungary rose to 673,000 at the end of July from 635,000 at the end of June, the National Telecommunications Authority (NHH) said on Wednesday. The number of subscribers who transferred data, rose to... [read complete entry]
August 11, 2009, 09:56 CET
Competition Office disallows Magyar Telekom acquisition deal
Hungary's Competition Office (GVH) on Monday said it denied approval of the acquisition of ViDaNet by Magyar Telekom. GVH said the acquisition would give Magyar Telekom a monopoly on the landline telephone and cable television market in regions where ViDaNet... [read complete entry]
July 28, 2009, 09:47 CET
Budapest court turns down challenge to canceling of mobile frequency tender
The Budapest Metropolitan Court (FB) has turned down an appeal by Digi Kft and DreamCom Kft challenging an April decision by the National Telecommunications Authority (NHH) to call off a tender for a new mobile phone frequency in Hungary, writes... [read complete entry]
June 30, 2009, 08:38 CET
Magyar Telekom fined Ft 100 million for improper client penalties
Hungary's National Communications Authority (NHH) on Monday said it fined Magyar Telekom HUF 100m for imposing penalties that were not in line with regulations on clients who terminated loyalty contracts. The NHH ordered Magyar Telekom to change the penalties to... [read complete entry]
June 17, 2009, 10:59 CET
Number of mobile phone subscriptions falls
The number of active mobile phone subscribers in Hungary fell in May by 63,000 to 10,636,000, according to data published by the National Telecommunications Authority (NHH) on Tuesday. T-Mobile's share of the market for active subscribers fell slightly while the... [read complete entry]
June 10, 2009, 10:13 CET
Growth in Internet subscriptions comes to near halt in Q1
There were 2.319m internet subscriptions in Hungary at the end of March 2009, up 0.3pc from the end of last year and up 15.8pc in twelve months, the Central Statistics Office (KSH) reported on Wednesday. Wireless internet subscriptions fell 4.4pc... [read complete entry]
May 20, 2009, 10:43 CET
Vodafone Hungary sees flat revenue in 2008/2009 business year
Revenue of the Hungarian unit of UK mobile services company Vodafone slipped 0.2pc in its business year ended March 31, Vodafone Magyarorszag told MTI on Tuesday. Vodafone Magyarorszag said earlier that revenue in its business year ended March 2008 exceeded... [read complete entry]
May 12, 2009, 08:34 CET
Transport, telecom and energy minister vows no privatizations
The Transport, Telecommunication and Energy Affairs Ministry is not planning any privatisations, Peter Honig, who heads the portfolio, said in an interview published in Monday's issue of daily Nepszava. "I have no intention of selling a single company that belongs... [read complete entry]
May 06, 2009, 09:29 CET
Mobile firm Pannon GSM sees revenue drop in first quarter
Mobile services company Pannon GSM Tavkozlesi, owned by Nortel, had revenue of HUF 43.3bn in Q1, down from HUF 44.9bn in the same period a year earlier as termination fees were lowered, revenue from handsets fell and voice turnover dropped... [read complete entry]
April 03, 2009, 11:15 CET
Bidders appeal Hungary's decision to cancel mobile frequency tender
Three of four bidders in a tender for new mobile frequencies have appealed a decision by Hungary's National Telecommunications Authority (NHH) to cancel the tender because of the global crisis, MTI learnt.... [read complete entry]
March 11, 2009, 12:31 CET
Heads roll as expat fingers allegedly found in UPC Hungary till
Several leading members of the Budapest expat business community have been given their marching orders by UPC Hungary's parent company after an internal audit allegedly revealed they had handled company funds wastefully and unethically. According to a detailed report in... [read complete entry]
March 09, 2009, 01:24 CET
Vodafone Hungary head sees only small slide for mobile segment
While Hungary's economy is set to contract 3pc in 2009, the telecommunications sector is likely to shrink just 1.5-2pc and the mobile segment only 0-1pc, Gyorgy Beck, head of mobile services company Vodafone Magyarorszag, told MTI.... [read complete entry]
March 09, 2009, 08:06 CET
Experts warn of catastrophic '09 for Hungarian media market
Some executives at local media agencies believe that the Hungarian ad market could suffer up to a 20% overall decline in 2009, as an ongoing fall in ad spends accelerates due to the larger economy's continuing woes, napi.hu reports. At... [read complete entry]
January 14, 2009, 11:29 CET
Budget network brings new threat to concerned mobile carriers
DreamCom, a "budget" mobile provider founded by Externet and Telekom 4, is expected to win the government tender to become Hungary's fourth cellphone carrier, writes Index.hu based on an offline report in Napi Gazdaság. Meanwhile, Napi also reports that Pannon,... [read complete entry]
January 12, 2009, 08:58 CET
Broadband internet subscriptions reach 1.52m
The number of broadband internet subscriptions in Hungary grew to 1.52m in November from 1.5m in October, figures published by the National Telecommunications Authority (NHH) on Friday show.... [read complete entry]
January 12, 2009, 08:54 CET
Number of landline subscriptions continues to decline
The number of landline telephone connections in Hungary fell 17,000 to 3,107,000 in November from October, the National Telecommunications Authority (NHH) said on Friday.... [read complete entry]
December 30, 2008, 10:35 CET
President sends media law to constitutional court, says bill favors existing players
President Laszlo Solyom on Monday did not sign a newly amended media law but sent it to the Constitutional Court for review, the president's office told MTI.... [read complete entry]
December 19, 2008, 06:52 CET
Consumer telecom spending falls for first time in six years
Hungarian households' annual spending, in real terms, on telecommunications equipment and services fell for the first time in six years in 2007, a survey by GKIeNET, T-Home and T-Mobile reveals.... [read complete entry]
November 21, 2008, 01:30 CET
Vodafone Hungary opts for kiosks over stores in some new mall locations
Circumventing the problem that they lack a store in some shopping malls, Vodafone Hungary has instead opted to open kiosks, kreativ.hu reports. The kiosks will in turn offer all of the services provided by full-sized stores, just in a much... [read complete entry]
November 11, 2008, 02:30 CET
T-Mobile Hungary trounces rivals in 3G broadband test
With the mobile broadband revolution now fully underway, two Index.hu reporters have been roaming the country measuring bandwidth and coverage in various locations, recording the results on a Google map and liveblogging their findings. And their findings were conclusive, although... [read complete entry]
October 29, 2008, 08:17 CET
Hungarians slow to use mobile phones for banking services
Only about 4pc of Hungarians use mobile phones to make bank transfers, according to a survey by market research company Median, managing director Endre Hann said at a conference on Tuesday. About 17pc of mobile phone owners use mobile banking... [read complete entry]
October 27, 2008, 07:45 CET
Regulator wants mobile firms to drop termination fees 40% by 2010
Hungary's three mobile phone service providers will have to reduce their termination fees in three steps to a fee of HUF 11.86 per minute by December 1, 2010 under a draft resolution of the National Telecommunications Authority (NHH), the NHH... [read complete entry]
September 12, 2008, 08:22 CET
Mobile phone penetration at 116% in Hungary, operators' shares remain stable
The number of mobile phone subscriptions rose by 61,000 to 11.6 million in July, the communications authority NHH announced. Mobile phone penetration grew as a result to 116%.... [read complete entry]
August 25, 2008, 04:00 CET
Hungary, Israel plan to conclude R+D agreement, ambassador says
Hungary and Israel are planning to conclude a research and development agreement, which could be signed early next year, the Israeli Ambassador to Hungary told MTI in Budapest on Monday. The agreement will encourage Hungarian and Israeli businesses, particularly IT... [read complete entry]
August 13, 2008, 08:17 CET
Hungarian mobile providers enjoy "interconnectivity" on customer blacklist
While a January 2006 law strictly limits the ability of financial institutions to store and share information on deadbeat clients, the country's mobile phone providers continue to enjoy wide latitude in the use of customer "blacklists."... [read complete entry]
August 07, 2008, 07:55 CET
Magyar Telekom profits leap as layoffs begin to pay off
Magyar Telekom's first-half net profit jumped 57pc to HUF 53.7bn as layoffs began to pay off and a decision by Hungary's telco regulator allowed the company to free up provisions, Magyar Telekom said in its consolidated IFRS report for the... [read complete entry]
July 11, 2008, 09:41 CET
Rash of improper subscriber contracts found at Hungary's fixed-line telecos
Hungary's National Telecommunications Authority (NHH) has fined dozens of landline providers a total of Ft 30 million (€130,000) for signing "irregular" contracts with individual subscribers, reports Napi.hu. Of the 100 companies checked, only three followed all relevant regulations applicable to... [read complete entry]
June 19, 2008, 09:55 CET
Communications authority considering fourth cell network license
According to the National Communications Authority (Nemzeti Hírközlési Hatóság), the Hungarian market is ready for the introduction of a fourth mobile phone company, writes stop.hu, based on a report in Napi Gazdaság. NHH chairman Dániel Pataki says the authority has... [read complete entry]
June 03, 2008, 01:09 CET
Rights group pushing telecoms on data privacy
The Hungarian pressure group Társaság a Szabadságjogokért (TASZ, Company for Freedom Rights) has turned to the country's Constitutional Court in hopes of voiding current law regulating how telephone and Internet companies handle their users' personal data, Magyar Nemzet reports. Ádám... [read complete entry]
May 05, 2008, 12:18 CET
Magyar Telekom switches focus to online content
Magyar Telekom is renegotiated the terms of its joint venture with IKO Production, effectively resulting in the sell-off of its stake in RTL. [read complete entry]
February 12, 2008, 05:01 CET
Mobile carriers criticized for modifying contracts without customers' consent
Hungary's telecoms consumer watchdog has criticized mobile carriers for modifying customer contracts without their consent. [read complete entry]