Adriana Sas
Research expert covering the Polish market
Mobile communications in Poland - statistics & facts
The first mobile network in Poland was established in 1991. The year 1996 is considered the beginning of modern mobile telephony in the country, but the first operator appeared on the market much earlier. So far, the high costs of phone activation, the need to pay a subscription fee, and the risk of long phone calls have effectively discouraged the purchase and use of mobile phones. The turn of the century was the time for the first experiments with the mobile internet.
The internet is still a crucial direction for developing mobile networks, which is best proven by implementing LTE Advanced technology. Just as in 1996, GSM telephony freed Polish society from obsolete analog cells. In 2016, mobile internet released Poles from outdated methods of communication.
Due to the mandatory registration of prepaid cards in 2016, a significant decrease in the number of prepaid users is observed in favor of post-paid customers. As a result, at the end of 2022, prepaid users constituted only 27 percent of all mobile telephony users.
In 2022, the increasing trend for revenue from mobile telephony services continued. The operators' total revenues amounted to more than 14 billion zloty and were nearly eight percent higher than in the previous year. Growth in revenues was recorded in almost all types of mobile services. The mobile telephony market represented a significant area of telecommunication activity in 2020. This market generated over 35 percent of revenues in Poland's telecommunications market.
As of 2022, the network operator P4 was the leader in the number of mobile telephony users with a 30 percent share, followed by Orange Polska.
The " Roam Like At Home" regulation significantly impacted the use of mobile telephony services by Poles. The application in other EU countries of the same rates for voice calls, SMS, and data transmission as customers in Poland resulted in Poles using their mobile phones much more frequently abroad. The total duration of voice calls made (initiated) while roaming in 2022 amounted to nearly 3.9 four billion minutes. Compared to the previous year, this is an increase of 0.4 percent.
Poland is also implementing the 5G network, which is supposed to enable a 50 to 100-fold increase in transmission speed compared to current 4G networks. This technology will accelerate, among other things, the development of the Internet of Things, telemedical services, autonomous vehicles, and smart cities. The fastest 5G download speed scored over 113 Mbps in Poland in 2022.
The European Commission has obliged Poland to launch a 5G network in one of the largest cities by the end of 2020. By the end of 2025, all major cities of each EU member state and all major transport routes will be covered by the 5G network.
Mobile market characteristics
The mobile market in Poland is saturated, which is reflected in the decreasing number of SIM cards. At the end of 2022, 59.3 million active SIM cards were recorded.Due to the mandatory registration of prepaid cards in 2016, a significant decrease in the number of prepaid users is observed in favor of post-paid customers. As a result, at the end of 2022, prepaid users constituted only 27 percent of all mobile telephony users.
In 2022, the increasing trend for revenue from mobile telephony services continued. The operators' total revenues amounted to more than 14 billion zloty and were nearly eight percent higher than in the previous year. Growth in revenues was recorded in almost all types of mobile services. The mobile telephony market represented a significant area of telecommunication activity in 2020. This market generated over 35 percent of revenues in Poland's telecommunications market.
As of 2022, the network operator P4 was the leader in the number of mobile telephony users with a 30 percent share, followed by Orange Polska.
Mobile telephony usage
In 2022, the duration of outgoing calls in mobile telephony decreased by five percent. Mobile customers made calls with a total duration of 116 billion minutes. Statistically, it was 3066 minutes per year for every inhabitant of Poland, which appeared to be 144 minutes less than in 2021.The " Roam Like At Home" regulation significantly impacted the use of mobile telephony services by Poles. The application in other EU countries of the same rates for voice calls, SMS, and data transmission as customers in Poland resulted in Poles using their mobile phones much more frequently abroad. The total duration of voice calls made (initiated) while roaming in 2022 amounted to nearly 3.9 four billion minutes. Compared to the previous year, this is an increase of 0.4 percent.
Poland is also implementing the 5G network, which is supposed to enable a 50 to 100-fold increase in transmission speed compared to current 4G networks. This technology will accelerate, among other things, the development of the Internet of Things, telemedical services, autonomous vehicles, and smart cities. The fastest 5G download speed scored over 113 Mbps in Poland in 2022.
The European Commission has obliged Poland to launch a 5G network in one of the largest cities by the end of 2020. By the end of 2025, all major cities of each EU member state and all major transport routes will be covered by the 5G network.
