The statistical data regarding the Romanian electronic communications market reported by the providers to the National Authority for Communications, for the first half of 2008, indicate a steady growth of the number of mobile telephony users, as well as of the number of Internet connections.
As reported by the Internet providers, there were approximately 2.29 million fixed access connections in June 2008, in Romania, i.e. 450,000 more than in the similar period of the last year (1.84 million). Approximately 1.2 million mobile connections were paying for the Internet access services – 80% more than at the end of June 2007.
Out of the 2.29 million fixed Internet access connections, approximately 99% were broadband connections – by 50% more than at the end of June 2007. Thus, the penetration rate of dedicated broadband Internet access connections per 100 inhabitants reached 10.52%, whereas the penetration rate per 100 households was 27%.
“Romania has the highest rate of growth in Europe in terms of Internet connections. The rate of growth will continue next year. The WIMAX services that are to be launched in 2009 will provide internet access in areas not currently covered”, Mr. Liviu Nistoran, the ANC President showed
Between June 30, 2007 and June 30, 2008, the number of broadband connections via xDSL increased by 190%, while the number of broadband connections contracted by domestic users increased by 53%. The largest share of the total number of fixed dedicated broadband internet access connections is still represented by UTP/ FTP cable connections (52.5%), followed by xDSL connections (22.5%) and by coaxial cable connections (19.6%).
Although, similarly to 2007, approximately 68% of the mobile telephony users hold prepaid cards and only 32% are subscribers, in the first half of 2008, the subscriber number grew faster than the number of prepaid cards users (+15.3%, compared to +6.8%). ”This may indicate the Romanians’ budding preference for subscriptions, rather than for prepaid cards, mainly due to the operators’ increasingly attractive offers”, the ANC President, Mr. Liviu Nistoran, declared. At the end of June 2008, out of the 26.5 million valid SIM cards, 17.9 million were valid prepaid cards, more than 75% of which represented active SIM prepaid cards. The penetration rate of mobile telephony, calculated by the number of valid SIM cards reached 123% at the end of June 2008.
Furthermore, one can see a significant growth, by 50.3%, of the voice traffic (excluding roaming) originated on the mobile public networks for the first half of 2008 (14.6 billion minutes), as compared to the same period of 2007 (9.7 billion minutes), of which more than 80% was achieved in the same network
For the first time in the recent years, the fixed telephony sector witnessed a slight growth of the penetration rate, which reached 20.5% at the population level and, respectively, 51.5%, at the household level. One can notice both an increase in the number of landlines, which reached 4.41 million at the end of 2008, as compared to 4.26 million – at the end of 2007 –, and a higher traffic volume, which reached approximately 4.9 billion minutes, by over 17% higher than in the fist half of 2007. Thus, the total telephone traffic achieved through fixed and mobile networks in the first half of 2008 recorded a volume of more than 19 billion minutes, increasing by over 70% from the first half of 2007.
By the number of connected lines, the 35 alternative providers of fixed telephone lines hold a 31.3% market share, whereas – based on the voice traffic achieved -, the 54 active providers who offer calls through direct or indirect access to a network hold a market share of almost 34% – of the total volume of 4.9 billion voice minute, 1.65 billion minute traffic has been done by the users of alternative providers, increasing by 40% compared to the first half of 2007.
The statistical data report, drawn up based on the data transmitted by the authorised providers of electronic communications networks or services for their commercial activity performed from 1 January to 30 June 2008 is available here.