The parties agreed that it is key to the future of Hungary that it should fully capitalise on the opportunities offered by digitisation, and in the furthering of this cause the parties continue to regard each other as strategic partners, the press chief said.
At the meeting, Mr Höttges said in the past few years Magyar Telekom has accelerated its developments in Hungary. Thanks to this, its gigabit landline network is now available at as many as 2.9 million end-points, and around 1 million customers have access to its 5G network launched last year.
He added that modern telecommunications networks and the services offered by providers free of charge or at discount rates had greatly contributed to the successful management of the pandemic situation. He said “data hunger” continues to steadily increase even after the lockdowns in which global content providers – which do not contribute to the development of networks – play a major role. Meanwhile, telecommunications companies are required to cover not only the costs of developments, but also the taxes payable on them.
While Hungary is currently doing well in the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) as regards landline services, even more developments and investments are necessary for further meaningful progress which in turn requires a tax policy which serves as an incentive for them, Mr Höttges highlighted at the meeting.
