Prime Minister Viktor Orbán received the CEO of Deutsche Telekom, Timotheus Höttges, at the Carmelite Monastery on Friday. The meeting was also attended by Minister for Economic Development Márton Nagy and Magyar Telekom CEO Tibor Rékasi. During the consultation, the parties discussed the prospects and challenges of Hungary’s digital development, as well as the shared achievements in this field.
According to the press release issued about the meeting, Viktor Orbán and Timotheus Höttges agreed that digitalisation is a crucial factor for maintaining Hungary’s and Europe’s competitiveness. They continue to consider each other as strategic partners in this regard. In order to achieve the goals of the digital decade leading to 2030, it is of fundamental importance to incentivise investments and support infrastructure development.
Timotheus Höttges emphasised that Magyar Telekom plays an important role in Hungary’s digital development and in making the advantages and opportunities of the digital world accessible to the population and businesses. Between 2014 and 2022, Magyar Telekom carried out investments worth over 1,000 billion Hungarian forints in Hungary, with approximately 800 billion forints dedicated to the development of wired and mobile networks. Thanks to the intensive development efforts in recent years, Magyar Telekom now offers gigabit speeds to more than 3.4 million homes and businesses. Through its mobile network modernisation programme, it has increased outdoor 5G coverage to 60 per cent in terms of population ratio. To further promote development, a tax policy that incentivises investments is necessary, added Timotheus Höttges during the meeting.
In addition to infrastructure development, Telekom collaborates with the Hungarian government to support the integration of digital technology, encouraging the digital progress of small and medium-sized enterprises, large companies, and industries through innovative solutions and educational platforms. The CEO of Deutsche Telekom also pointed out that the telecommunications industry is highly investment-intensive, and consumers’ demand for data continues to grow unabated. Data traffic in Europe increases by approximately 25-30 per cent annually, with a significant contribution from global content providers who, however, do not currently contribute to network development.
At the meeting, Timotheus Höttges emphasised the strategic role of Magyar Telekom within the DT Group, highlighting its long-term commitment to enhancing the performance, productivity, and competitiveness of the Hungarian economy.
In 2021, the PM had already invited Höttges to Hungary. Then, during the consultation, the parties also discussed the challenges of Hungary’s digital development and reviewed the common achievements in this field.
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