Hungarian operator Magyar Telekom has exchanged its postpaid mobile portfolio for a customizable system of tariffs in which customers may combine voice and data packages as required. The Mobil M and L packages include unlimited on-net calls for a fixed fee while the Mobil XL package allows for unlimited calls outside the operator’s network. Students get an additional 2 GB of data, and all customers receive access to the 4G/LTE network. The Magenta 1 packages combine mobile and home services at a discounted price, and prices are also lower for those who do not buy a handset.
The new mobile packages range from 80 units of off-net minutes and SMS each month to unlimited voice and SMS. Data packages range from 400 MB to 30 GB. The out-of-bundle rate is HUF 35.00 (US $0.12) per minute or SMS on all the new plans. In addition all the units included in the plans can also be used when roaming in the EU, at no extra charge. Starting on 1 May, Magyar Telekom’s previous postpaid packages will be discontinued.
Tarifica’s Take
Magyar Telekom clearly recognizes the changing needs of today’s consumers, who in market after market, are demanding more flexibility in mobile—and fixed—offerings. With usage patterns more diverse than ever, and more subject to change at any time depending on circumstances, users do not to want to be pushed into one-size-fits-all packages. The Hungarian operator is making a fairly bold response to this climate by changing its slate of plans across the board, so that voice minutes and SMS are interchangeable, data allotments are customizable, and discounted options are available without handset and with fixed broadband.
It is noteworthy that the new tariffs are postpaid, in that traditionally it was prepaid customers who were more focused on flexibility, due to budgetary concerns. Increasingly, though, higher-end users are also seeking flexibility, making it wise for operators to offer customizable postpaid plans. On the other side of the coin, Magyar Telekom is offering a bonus 2 GB of data free to students, a savvy move to get this data-hungry yet relatively budget-minded demographic into the operator’s postpaid ecosystem.
One aspect of Magyar Telekom’s new slate of offerings that seems less than ideal is the limitation to on-net calls for the unlimited service in all plans except Mobil XL. We believe that this could very well be a limiting factor in terms of uptake. A more generous approach, offering all-net service allotments to all subscribers, would be more in keeping with the spirit of the new flexible offerings.