NHH reports strong growth from ADSL, cable broadband in year to June

The number of people signed up to ADSL and cable broadband services in Hungary rose by 176,000, or 12%, to 1.623 million in the year to 30 June 2009, according to data published yesterday by the national regulator the NHH. In terms of consecutive monthly growth, the total number of connections increased by 23,000 from 31 May, the watchdog said. The ADSL subscriber base actually reported a dip of 2,000 users between May and June, although the total was up 23,000 from 2Q08, it said. Meanwhile, the cable broadband base increased by more than 150,000 in the full year, the NHH said. The regulator’s figures include data from Hungary’s four biggest cable companies – UPC, T-Kabel, Fibernet and DIGI – as well as data from seven smaller players – PR Telekom, Zelka, Tarr, TvNetWork, ViDaNet, Parisat and Rubicom. Together, the providers cover 85%-90% of the total market, it said. At the same date, the regulator said the country was home to 3.11 million fixed lines in service, with growth coming from cable providers. By contrast, the traditional phone subscriber base decreased by 24,000, it said.