The number of fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) connections in Spain grew to 1.81 million at the end of February, according to statistics published by the regulator on Friday.
FTTH and HFC connections continue to grow at the expense of DSL, the Comision Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia’s (CNMC’s) figures show. Spain added 127,735 FTTH connections in February to take it over the 1.8 million mark, while HFC lines grew by 23,820.
At the end of February the country had 12.79 million broadband connections, 722,000 more than it recorded a year earlier.
Vodafone, which controls 8.8% of the market, was the only one of the country’s fixed broadband operators to lose customers in February. However, Ono, which was acquired by Vodafone last year, grew its customer base and the pair together claimed a market share of 21.9% at end-February.
Incumbent Telefonica had a 45.2% market share, while third-placed Orange, which recorded the biggest growth in February with the addition of 19,000 lines, had 15.6%.
However, Orange looks set to reclaim second spot.
Earlier this week the Spanish Securities Commission, or CNMV, gave its approval to Orange’s planned €3.4 billion takeover of smaller rival Jazztel. Its voluntary cash offer for Jazztel’s shares will run until 24 June.
Orange and Jazztel together would have had a 27.9% share of the broadband market at the end of February.
Orange can also lay claim to second place in the mobile market, with a 22.92% share to Vodafone’s 22.22%.
The Spanish mobile market as a whole has been losing customers since September, although the decline is coming from the prepaid side; postpaid customers continue to inch up, accounting for 36.31 million of the total 50.47 million connections at the end of February.
Vodafone, Telefonica’s Movistar, and Yoigo all lost customers in February, while Orange added fewer than 3,000 customers. Virtual operators, including Vodafone’s Ono, together added almost 99,000 connections.
