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Barcelona, 8 March 2010 Broadband surpassed in january the 100,000 monthly net activations barrier. It reached 107,753 lines, a record not seen since April 2008, which over the same month last year, represents an increase of 47% according to the latest data from the CMT for the January monthly note.

 

The figure recorded in January confirms the upward trend that began in August 2009, which accounts for a rise of almost half a million new broadband lines in that period. Thus, in late January Spain recorded 9.86 million broadband lines representing a penetration of 21.1 lines per 100 inhabitants.

 

In the last three months (November 09 - January 10) the alternative operators (non cable operators) captured 60.67% of the net increase in broadband lines, compared to 24.9% for Telefónica and 14.43% for the cable operators. In the past 12 months Telefónica's competitors in DSL have increased their total line plant by 18.5%.

 

Portability of land line telephone - which is closely associated with changing broadband provider, since this is usually packaged with the voice market - grew by 24.1% as compared to the same period in 2009, although the 121,132 registered porting events were somewhat lower than the record set in November last year (138,541).

 

Adjustment in the prepaid lines and third consecutive increase in land line telephone
January was not as bright for mobile telephony, which lost 76,303 lines. The reason must be sought in the prepaid segment negative data (which yielded 244,111 lines) before the adjustment carried out by Movistar due to the obligation for identification of the holder of the prepaid lines established by the Ministry of Industry. In the coming months it is expected that other operators will announce further adjustments in the number of prepaid lines.

 

The mobile portability remained at near record levels, this time with 385,855 exchanges in a month, 11% more than in January 2009. Yoigo was the operator with the highest line increase through portability (49,407), followed by the virtual operators (13,952) and Orange (6,046). Movistar and Vodafone yielded 43,787 and 25,618 lines respectively.

 

As for land line telephones, in January there were 20,228 net activations. This is the third consecutive rise after land lines fell every month from July 2008 to October 2009.