Alternative operators accounted for the vast majority of the new broadband connections, adding a total of 61,451 lines, while Telefonica added 6,336 lines and cable operators 10,190. The switch from ADSL to fibre was particularly noticeable in Telefonica’s figures, which lost 3.4 percent of its ADSL customers in the 12 months to January, but increased its FTTH customer base by 83.4 percent. The company currently has 46 percent of all fibre-optic subscribers in Spain, while cable operators account for 17 percent and other operators the remaining 36 percent.
The CNMC’s findings also showed that the mobile telephony sector experienced record portability figures in January, with a total of 674,720 numbers ported during the month, a 6.5 percent year-on-year increase. In spite of the high portability figures, the mobile telephony sector as a whole decreased for the fifth consecutive month, shedding 21,443 lines in January. The drop was due above all to a reduction in prepaid lines, down 198,879, and data cards, down 32,407, partially offset by a 209,843 rise in postpaid subscriptions.
In terms of operators, the three leading operators shed well over 200,000 mobile lines in January, with Telefonica's Movistar brand losing 155,570 lines, followed by Vodafone (73,360) and Orange (2,020). The MVNOs added 137,240 new lines in total to increase their market share to 12.9 percent. The portability figures revealed that the MVNOs ended the month with a positive net portability of 135,778, with Yoigo also registering a positive net total of 36,278 lines.
