The government will set the parameters and price for the basic product and will sign a brand usage contract with service providers who are ready to provide it.

Those who have had no subscription for the previous 12 months may sign up for the basic product for a two-year period.

In Hungary, 1.5 million people over 18 yeas of age have no internet access. Of those, 14% say they have no subscription because they consider it too expensive.

The government will announce a tender in January for telecoms firms wishing to participate in the scheme and will sign the usage contracts in February.

The minimum download speed for fixed-line access must be 4 Mbps and the minimum upload speed 1 Mbps.

There is no specific requirement for mobile access but 4G technology or better must be used.

The number of basic subscribers could reach 10,000 by the end of 2017, Deutsch forecasts.

Source: Hungary Around the Clock

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