Methodology

The survey was conducted using computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) on a nationally representative sample of 3,020 households. The sample structure reflects the Hungarian household population by region, settlement type, household size and age composition, as well as the educational attainment of the household head.

Service Penetration and Usage Patterns

The Hungarian consumer telecommunications market remained fundamentally stable in 2025, with 99% of households subscribing to at least one telecommunications service. Mobile telephony continues to exhibit the highest penetration at 96%, followed by pay TV at 87% and small-screen mobile internet (SSC) at 79%.

The digital divide persists: 16% of the population—predominantly individuals aged 70 and above—remain non-internet users. This indicates that despite improvements in device ownership and service availability, a sizable elderly cohort is still excluded from the digital ecosystem, limiting access to online services and digital public administration.

In terms of device ownership, smartphones lead penetration at 82%, followed by smart TVs at 54%. The spread of smart TVs facilitates direct consumption of streaming services, reducing reliance on external streaming devices and reinforcing the role of over-the-top (OTT) content in household media expenditure. Laptop ownership stabilized at 65%, tablets are present in 38% of households, while desktop PC penetration declined further to 35%. Streaming service adoption continued its dynamic growth, reaching 30% of households.

Bundled Services and Market Expenditure

Bundled service penetration stabilized at 67%, slightly below the 2022 peak of 68%, indicating that approximately two-thirds of households opt for packaged offerings. Bundling is particularly dominant in fixed services: fixed telephony (92%), fixed broadband (79%), and pay TV (73%).

Total monthly consumer market revenue exceeded HUF 95 billion, representing annual growth of approximately HUF 3 billion. Average household monthly telecommunications expenditure increased to HUF 24,000; however, growth moderated sharply to 2.6%, compared with double-digit increases in previous years (12.5% and 11.8%). This slowdown is attributable to declining inflation and the introduction of voluntary price caps by major operators, marking a shift from aggressive price increases to more restrained pricing strategies.

Mobile services account for the largest share of household expenditure (HUF 14,600/month), followed by fixed broadband (HUF 5,700), pay TV (HUF 5,455), and fixed telephony (HUF 2,466). Expenditure patterns reveal that fixed services are largely.

income-insensitive, while mobile spending scales significantly with household income: average mobile expenditure nearly doubles between the lowest (HUF 5,783) and highest income deciles (HUF 10,113), whereas fixed broadband and pay TV costs remain broadly consistent across income groups.

Market Shares and Competitive Landscape

Market concentration remains pronounced: 45% of households source all telecommunications services from a single provider, and the overall share using only one provider has reached 50%. This trend coincides with a decline in multi-provider households (three or more providers), reflecting the strengthening of convergent service portfolios, attractive bundling discounts, and ongoing brand consolidation.

Telekom retained market leadership with a 65% household presence. One emerged as the second-largest player at 52%, surpassing Yettel (27%). Average number of services per household varies notably by operator: Telekom 2.2, One 1.9, and Yettel 1.1. In the mobile segment, market shares stand at Telekom 48%, One 30%, and Yettel 28%.

Small-screen mobile internet (SSC) penetration increased to 79% (up from 75% in 2024), with average monthly ARPU per SIM reaching HUF 7,530 (2024: HUF 7,250). The continued rise in SSC penetration underscores that mobile internet has become a standard component of consumer postpaid subscriptions rather than a standalone add-on.

Broadband Speeds and Convergence

Service convergence has intensified: 71% of households now have both fixed and small-screen mobile internet access, compared with 46% in 2017. The reported fixed broadband technology mix—60% cable and 24% FTTH—primarily reflects consumer awareness rather than actual network availability, as users tend to assess service quality based on perceived performance (speed and reliability) rather than underlying access technology.

Advertised bandwidth levels continue to increase, with 51% of households subscribing to packages offering 500 Mbps or higher and 25% to 1 Gbps or above. Despite this, only 18% of users actively test their connection speed. Low testing frequency suggests general satisfaction with everyday performance, with testing typically triggered by persistent quality issues rather than routine monitoring. Provider-side convergence is further reinforced by the consolidation of the One brand.

Provider Switching and Issue Resolution

Actual provider switching remains exceptionally low at 2%, despite a higher consideration rate of 11%. This inertia persists even as perceived price increases declined from 43% in 2024 to 36% in 2025. Limited switching is primarily driven by high perceived switching costs, including lack of time (36%), administrative complexity (23%), and contractual penalties related to loyalty agreements (22%). For many consumers, the anticipated transaction costs and uncertainty associated with switching outweigh potential financial savings.

Complaint incidence is highest for fixed broadband services (15%), followed by pay TV (10%), reflecting the central role of broadband connectivity in supporting bandwidth-intensive daily activities. Operator issue resolution performance is strong: the majority of reported problems are resolved quickly, and the share of chronic, unresolved cases remains below 1%.