Executive summary

The Household Survey on the Hungarian Electronic Communications Market, conducted through CAPI (Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing) methodology, involved a representative sample of 3,005 households. The sample was carefully selected to reflect the distribution of Hungarian households based on region, settlement type, household size and age composition, and the educational level of the household head.

The findings indicate that nearly all households (99%) utilize some form of telecommunication service. Mobile phone subscriptions are the most widespread, with 95% of households reporting usage. Paid television services are present in 88% of households, while 75% have a fixed internet connection. In contrast, the proportion of households maintaining a traditional landline telephone continues to decline, currently standing at just 27%.

The adoption of streaming services has seen a steady increase. By 2024, 26% of households, representing more than one million Hungarian homes, are subscribing to streaming services. This reflects an upward trend from previous years, as digital media consumption continues to rise.

Although the prevalence of bundled telecommunication subscriptions has decreased somewhat due to the shrinking landline telephone market, bundled service packages remain popular. A majority of households (63%) still choose to subscribe to fixed services in packages, and there is an increasing trend towards including mobile services within these bundles.

Internet usage patterns reveal a significant divide among demographic groups. While internet penetration is high overall, 16% of the population—primarily individuals over the age of 70—do not use the internet. Fixed internet services are present in 75% of households, and there has been an increase in the proportion of households that have both fixed and mobile internet services, rising from 64% in 2023 to 66% in 2024. The majority of high-data traffic activities and tasks requiring stable connections are conducted over fixed internet networks.

Internet speed has also seen significant improvements, with 48% of households, nearly half, reporting speeds exceeding 500 Mbit/sec. Despite this, it remains uncommon for consumers to actively check their internet connection speeds. This may be attributed to a general perception that service providers are delivering bandwidth as per contractual agreements.

The survey highlights a notable rise in household telecommunication expenses. The average monthly expenditure per household exceeded HUF 23,000 in 2024, reflecting a 12% increase compared to the previous year. On a national scale, monthly household spending on telecommunications reached HUF 93 billion, marking an increase of HUF 9 billion from the prior year.

Subjective perceptions of pricing have deteriorated, particularly for mobile and fixed internet services, with many respondents feeling that prices have increased substantially over the past year. Nonetheless, Telekom continues to be the leading provider in the market, present in nearly two-thirds of households and maintaining its dominant position across all examined segments. In the mobile sector, Telekom serves 44% of households, followed by Vodafone and Yettel, each with a 29% market share.

Despite rising costs, the mobile market remains characterized by stability. Three- quarters of mobile voice subscriptions include mobile internet services. Meanwhile, fixed internet services are found in 75% of households, with an increasing proportion using both fixed internet and mobile internet solutions.

Smart TV penetration has grown steadily, rising from 45% of households in 2023 to 49% in 2024. Concurrently, the use of streaming services has expanded, with 26% of households now accessing streaming media, up from 24% the previous year.

Consumer loyalty appears strong, with minimal service switching observed. Only 3% of households with fixed services such as paid TV, internet, or telephone subscriptions changed providers recently. For mobile services, the figure is even lower at 2%. Service complaints were primarily associated with fixed internet (16% of households) and paid television (10% of households). Most issues were effectively addressed by service providers. Less than 1% of households reported unresolved problems after contacting their provider.

Billing practices reveal that 47% of consumers do not review their service bills. Among those who do, 81% find it relatively easy to navigate the billing details, albeit with varying degrees of difficulty.

Awareness of digital advisory tools remains limited. Only 13% of respondents had heard of applications or websites designed to help consumers compare telecommunication service packages, while 15% were aware of tools provided by the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH).

Consumers experienced the most issues with fixed services. 16% of households reported problems with fixed internet services, while 10% encountered issues with paid television services. Many of these consumers contacted their service providers about these problems, and in the majority of cases, the providers adequately addressed the issues. Overall, less than 1% of households faced problems that remained unresolved after notifying their service provider.