Spanish Mobile Market Shrinks

Some 245,000 Spaniards appear to have abandoned use of mobile phones in February 2013. 

In other words, the Spanish mobile market not only has stopped growing; it is shrinking. 

In February, 575,138 people switched suppliers, an 18 percent increase compared to the same month the year before, and only slightly lower than the record 633,616 changes recorded in January 2013.

Telefonica lost 85,161 customers to rivals, while 95,115 customers left Vodafone for other operators, the Spanish regulator reports 

Orange lost 5,757 customers to other companies. Low-cost Yoigo, the smallest facilities-based operator gained 32,424 mobile customers. 

But mobile virtual network operators gained 153,609 new customers, primarily taking them from the facilities-based suppliers.