The gross prices of the majority of independent internet services in Hungary fell by 11 percent in 2018 primarily as a result of a drop in internet sales, according to an analysis by local telecommunications authority NMHH on prices and market offerings. Also, the prices of mobile data plans decreased to a lesser extent. Prices for service packages including internet fell by 1-8 percent, the same research shows, according Telecompaper. The range of offered packages is also constantly changing, with more than half of the packages being available for less than a year.
As in 2017, the changes in the regulatory system in 2018 had the greatest impact on the development of communications prices.
Continual introduction of packages
At the end of 2018, there were a total of 170 subscription packages in five categories: landline telephone, wired internet, mobile internet, prepaid telephony and mobile subscriptions. Of these, 88 packages were introduced since January 2018, representing more than half of the total supply, 52 percent.
The analysis included a total of 640 packages, including packages that have already been closed but still have subscribers, according Telecompaper. Probably the number and frequent change of packages is partly due to the fact that 60 percent of mobile phone users and households with fixed internet have never switched to a tariff package, NMHH said.
Fewer fixed telephony plans in offers, more data in mobile plans
In 2018, Magyar Telekom and Invitel both reduced the number of fixed telephony packages in their offers. The general tendency is that mobile services contain more data and increasing data traffic that can be used for roaming. Service providers regularly increase data by doubling data during summers, for instance. In 2018, unlimited international calls and unlimited data traffic in the EU roaming market appeared as a novelty, the same report said.
