Digi surges to 4th place in spain's mobile market

Digi, the low-cost Romanian operator, has emerged as the big winner in the ongoing battle for portability, with over 10.8 million customers and a spot in fourth place by user count, narrowly trailing Vodafone.

Telefónica and digi lead, while vodafone and masorange struggle

While Telefónica and Digi are the major victors of the first quarter, there are some nuances. Digi's growth is slowing down in recent months, while Movistar continues to add subscribers.

Movistar, in particular, has a lot to smile about. The operator has gained 57,000 net mobile lines through portability, more than doubling the 29,000 customers it picked up in the same period last year. Its fixed-line subscribers are also growing, albeit from a lower base.

However, Digi's strong portability numbers mask a problem with customer retention. While it continues to snatch customers from rivals, many of these new sign-ups defect to other plans within a few months.

Vodafone, meanwhile, is struggling. It lost a net 94,000 mobile lines in the first quarter, more than double the 44,000 customers it hemorrhaged in the same period last year. MasOrange is also in trouble, shedding 170,000 mobile subscribers and 62,000 fixed lines in the same quarter.

As Digi's growth slows, it faces the challenge of retaining its new customers. However, its rivals' woes provide an opportunity for the low-cost operator to maintain its position as Spain's third-largest mobile player.