Mobile operator Telenor Hungary, formerly known as Pannon, booked revenue of HUF42.043 billion (USD195.3 million) in Q4 2012, up from HUF41.404 billion in the corresponding year-earlier period, as higher subscription and traffic revenue offset a fall in sales from a government-imposed cut in termination fees, and other one-off expenses. EBITDA for the carrier fell marginally in the three month period under review, to HUF11.654 billion from HUF11.771 billion, in a period in which Telenor was required to pay HUF2.4 billion for the new telecoms tax, and a similar amount on Budapest’s so-called ‘crisis tax’. Nonetheless, EBIT increased year-on-year it said, thanks to lower depreciation charges stemming from new equipment deployments, following its network modernisation programme.
Operationally speaking, Telenor Hungary added a net 57,000 new users in the last three months of the year, to close out 2012 with a total of 3.322 million – resulting in an improvement in voice and mobile internet market share, it said.