Hungary lost 432k mobile subs in 2009: NTA

Hungary's mobile subscriptions fell almost 432,000 in 2009, with mobile penetration falling from 121.8% to 117.7%, according to the National Telecommunications Authority (NTA).
 
Over the same period, the number of active subscribers fell 66,000 to 10.9 million, MTI-Econews said
 
Vodafone was the only operator to increase its market share of active subscribers in 2009. The company boosted its market share 0.68 percentage points to 22.54%. Pannon's share dropped 0.9 percentage points to 33%, while T-Mobile's share dipped 0.22 percentage points to 44.4%.
 
The proportion of pre-paid subscriptions dropped to 56.7% from 61.2% a year earlier.
 
Late last year, the CEOs of all three operators told MTI that they expected Hungary's mobile market to contract in 2010.
 
But predictions on the extent of the shrinkage varied wildly, with Vodafone estimating a 6-8% contraction, while Pannon expects a 2% drop.
 
But while T-Mobile's parent Magyar Telekom also expects the market to contract, it believes the number of mobile subscriptions will likely stop falling after February.