Major internet service providers are planning further network developments as data traffic has increased by 30pc on average because of lockdown measures against the coronavirus and telecommuting becoming more popular, a number of companies told.

Telenor said that following the start of a national lockdown in March 2020 data traffic on their network jumped by 30pc. The increase in data volume was accompanied by a change in users’ habits, former hubs became quiet and areas where workers used to commute from saw a jump internet usage.

By H2 traffic volume had decreased but the growth rate was still above its long running average in the second half of the year, Telenor said, adding that their long-term investments in the past years and the coming period will come to several tens of billions of forints.

Vodafone Magyarorszag said since spring 2020 their wired and mobile internet traffic has jumped by 30-40pc. In order to ensure the smooth running of its network the company has recently invested billions of forints in developing its networks and expanding its network capacity.

Vodafone will continue developing its network in 2021 with priority on 5G systems. The company will offer private 5G networks to corporate clients and introduce the network at more county seats.

DIGI said that as early as last spring they had mapped the extreme network load points in the country and their network and data centre capacities were strengthened wherever necessary.

The company’s goal is to get fibre optics into every subscriber’s home, as currently this represents state of the art technology. They continue to work hard to expand their network’s coverage and reach.

Magyar Telekom said that they had registered a 75pc jump in landline voice traffic and a 45pc increase in mobile voice traffic in spring 2020 while wired and wireless data traffic were both up by around 30pc.

In Q3 2020 mobile data traffic per customer was up by 40pc on an annual basis and wired internet subscription numbers were up 7.4pc at 1.29m.

Telekom’s CAPEX expenditure, not counting spectrum licencing fees, was up 13pc at HUF 26.5bn in Q3 and was HUF 75bn for Q1-Q3, an increase of HUF 17.8bn compared to the same period a year earlier.