Textio

[comms direct news] Spanish regulator CMT has reported that Telefónica Moviles has become the country’s subscriber market leader in the mobile broadband segment, with 665,547 customers at the end of the third quarter of 2009, compared to 640,402 for principal rival Vodafone. The figure represents a strong third quarter from Telefónica, which had had 124,000 fewer subscribers as of the end of the second quarter. Over the first nine months of 2009 Telefónica added 190,000 subscribers, while Vodafone added fewer than 13,500.

Significance: Telefónica’s growth has been largely driven by its corporate customer base, where it now has almost 190,000 more subscribers than Vodafone. Both operators have indicated that they are keen to increase revenue generation from mobile data services, so IHS Global Insight expects subscriber uptake to continue in 2010, as well as further technology enhancements such as that announced by Vodafone in December 2009, that it would broaden its area of HSPA+ mobile broadband network coverage and increase its download speeds.

Corporate Sector Surge Helps Telefónica Moviles Leapfrog Vodafone Spain in Mobile Broadband Market