An unlimited mobile data plan may not always pay off
An increasing number of people are using tariff packages offering unlimited mobile services, but roughly half of the affected consumers would be adequately served by a fixed data plan, according to a recent study by the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH). Their online survey, conducted in 2025 with the participation of over 1,000 people, found that approximately half of all residential mobile subscribers use unlimited domestic voice calls, and one-third use unlimited mobile data. However, many do not assess whether they genuinely need an unlimited data plan.
| Post-paid subscribers | Subscribers who joined within the past year | |
| Unlimited voice and mobile data | 27% | 40% |
| Unlimited mobile data only | 10% | 8% |
| Unlimited voice only | 24% | 21% |
| Not unlimited | 40% | 31% |
The study shows that consumers appear to make rational choices at first glance: those who make more calls are more likely to choose an unlimited voice plan, while those who use the internet more tend to opt for unlimited mobile data. The study also highlights that frequent online gaming and regular mobile hotspot use significantly increase the likelihood of someone subscribing to an unlimited data plan.
Beyond usage habits, the choice can also be strongly influenced by promotions and discounts offered by service providers, such as discounts tied to new device purchases. This is reinforced by the finding that new subscribers are more likely to purchase unlimited voice and data packages, pointing to an expected further increase in the share of unlimited tariff plans.
The majority of affected respondents feel they need the unlimited option: only 7% of those with unlimited voice calls and just 6% of those with unlimited mobile data said that they did not make full use of the service they purchased. These respondents are typically motivated by various service provider promotions and a preference for predictability: they chose an unlimited plan because a device purchase or bundled services package offered them better terms, or because it was important to them to use their device without unexpected extra charges.
Respondents’ answers also revealed that consumers pay a significant premium for the unlimited options: while subscribers on capped plans pay a median of only HUF 5,000 per month, those using unlimited voice and mobile data pay almost three times as much, HUF 13,000 per month.
However, the study reveals that a significant proportion of consumers are not aware of their own mobile costs, nor how many minutes of calls they initiate, or how much mobile data they use. Only 60% of post-paid subscribers were able to quote their monthly fee from memory, and even fewer could look up their voice or data usage for the previous month.
While a narrower group of users actually do take advantage of the freedom offered by unlimited data plans, the study finds that many unlimited data subscribers would be adequately served by a fixed data tariff plan. Estimates suggest that half of those who opted for unlimited mobile data would have been happy with a 10 GB data allowance, potentially saving up to HUF 5,000 a month at the time of the survey.