Fixed lines continue steady decline in April

Hungary was home to 3.41 million fixed telephone lines at the end of April 2006, down 19,000 on the previous month, according to figures published by the National Communications Authority (NHH) on Monday. Fixed line teledensity stood at 33.86%, down from 34.78% at the end of April 2005. Figures from the five operators with significant market power (SMP), Emitel, Hungarotel, Magyar Telekom, Monortel and Invitel, showed a 99,000 drop over twelve months. Moreover, average monthly call time for each fixed line fell from 241.3 minutes in March to 221.5 minutes in April, while the average length of the calls initiated from fixed lines fell from 3.35 minutes to 3.32 minutes. The NHH added that the percentage of households with a fixed line fell from 67.88% at the end of March 2006 to 67.65% a month later. In addition, the number of broadband access lines stagnated in April, following a steady increase in the preceding months.