OREANDA-NEWS. July 27, 2010. Eesti Telekom’s subsidiaries EMT and Elion saw a significant increase in both fixed-line and mobile Internet broadband user numbers in Q2 – EMT by 14,700 and Elion by 7000. EMT maintained its 47% share of the mobile communications market, while Elion gained a further 1% share on the cable TV market, with 35% in total since the service was launched four years ago, reported the press-centre of Eesti Telekom.

The number of EMT’s mobile Internet users grew over the year by 14,700. Compared to the same period in 2009, this is a more than 30% increase in the number of such users in EMT’s client base. In terms of the most popular Internet plans (i.e. those used most), annual growth has been 44%.

EMT maintained its 47% share on the mobile communications market, with an extra 6000 contractual clients compared to the same period last year and a total of 490,000. The number of users of pre-paid cards increased by 11,600 compared to Q2 2009, reaching 273,000.

The number of Elion’s fixed-lined Internet users grew by 7000 or 4% over the year. In Q2 the number of fixed-line connections increased by 1660 to a total of 182,200. Elion maintained its market share of the Estonian fixed-lined Internet market, which is estimated to be 52.4%.

Compared to the same period in 2009, the number of Elion’s digiTV users grew by 25,000 or 28%. By the end of Q2, Elion had a total of 113,400 such users. As a result, its market share on the cable distribution market rose by 1% to 35%. Elion gained 5200 new digiTV clients in Q2 2010, twice as many as in the same period last year. The reasons for this were the nationwide transition to digital broadcasts on 1 July and the launch of the new Twin Solution, as well as the introduction of the digiTV recording service. By number of clients, Elion is the biggest provider of digital television in Estonia and the second-biggest operator on the cable TV market.

Both EMT and Elion have continued to invest in both fixed-line and mobile broadband connections. EMT is continuing to develop the most extensive 3.5G coverage area in the country and has become the first and so far only mobile operator with a fast 3.5G network covering all of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa. It is also expanding its 3.5G network in every other county, and preparations are ongoing for the launch of the 4G network, which will be possible once the state issues 4G licences. Elion has developed Estonia’s most powerful infrastructure and offers companies and home users alike super-fast Internet connections with download speeds of up to 100 Mbit/s and uploading at up to 20 Mbit/s. Almost 1200 Elion clients currently use a 100 Mbit/s connection.

Notable Q2 activities of Eesti Telekom’s other subsidiary, MicroLink, include the launch of major IT consultation projects in Russia.

Due to Eesti Telekom becoming a 100% subsidiary of TeliaSonera, both 2009 and 2010 can be seen as transition years in the reporting of its financial results, which are not directly comparable to results previous published by AS Eesti Telekom. The Q2 results published by TeliaSonera for both 2009 and 2010 in terms of the Estonian mobility and broadband fields cannot be compared to the results set out in the annual and interim reports of AS Eesti Telekom for 2008 and 2009 in regard to EMT, Elion and MicroLink, since the results of AS MicroLink Eesti and parent company AS Eesti Telekom are distributed between the broadband and mobility fields in TeliaSonera’s annual and interim reports, as they are in the reports of AS Eesti Telekom.