13 December 2011
13.12.2011
The market of broadband Internet access services maintains the ascendant trend on several segments, as the growth rates registered by mid-2011 exceed the increases reported in the second semester of 2010, according to the data published by the National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) in the Half-yearly statistical data report on the Internet access services and the leased lines and data transmission services in the first half of 2011.
Thus, the number of fixed broadband Internet access connections reached 3.13 million, up by 4.4% and double as compared to the growth rate registered in the second semester of 2010. The most significant increases were registered by the xDSL connections (+7% to 0.94 million connections) and the UTP/FTP cable connections (+7% to 1.70 million connections). Furthermore, the coaxial cable connections decreased by 5% down to 0.4 million.
As well, it is worth mentioning that the FTTx connections (2.75 million) account for 88% of the total fixed broadband Internet access connections. This type of connections employs the fibre optic up to the end-user’s premises or a specific point in the proximity of the end-users’ premises, wherefrom the connection is achieved over other technologies (e.g. coaxial cable, radio, UTP/FTP cable, xDSL), and thus the operators are able to offer high Internet connection speeds. The remaining 12% are held by connections achieved on coaxial cable/twisted metallic wires/UTP/FTP cable/radio supports or other means.
The penetration rate of fixed broadband Internet access connections per 100 inhabitants (total number of connections/number of inhabitants in Romania) reached 14.6% as of mid-2011, whereas the penetration rate per 100 households (number of connections provided to residential users/number of households in Romania) rose to 38.7%. Moreover, in the first half of 2011, the number of fixed connections installed to business users declined slightly (-1%), and the connections installed to residential users grew instead by 5%. Out of the 3.13 million fixed broadband Internet access connections reported by the middle of this year, 2.83 million were used by residential subscribers and 0.3 million connections were employed by business subscribers.
The transfer speed of 98% of the broadband Internet access connections was at least 2 Mbps, while 62% of these connections had a transfer speed of at least 10 Mbps. The structure of the total number of fixed broadband Internet access connections, itemized by “best-effort” speed (the maximum speed which may be reached at a given time, specified in the contracts concluded with the end-users), by customer category and by urban or rural area, as of mid-2011, is displayed below:
|
Total fixed broadband
Internet access connections
|
>144kbps <2Mbps
|
≥2Mbps <10Mbps
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≥10Mbps <30Mbps
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≥30Mbps <100Mbps
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≥100Mbps
|
total
|
|
Residential users (million)
|
0.06
|
0.96
|
0.48
|
0.87
|
0.45
|
2.83
|
|
Business users (million)
|
0.01
|
0.16
|
0.10
|
0.02
|
0.01
|
0.30
|
|
TOTAL (million)
|
0.08
|
1.13
|
0.58
|
0.89
|
0.46
|
3.13
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
Urban (million)
|
0.05
|
0.68
|
0.49
|
0.86
|
0.45
|
2.54
|
|
Rural (million)
|
0.02
|
0.45
|
0.09
|
0.03
|
0.01
|
0.59
|
|
TOTAL (million)
|
0.08
|
1.13
|
0.58
|
0.89
|
0.46
|
3.13
|
Furthermore, according to the data reported by the 6 providers of mobile Internet access services, the total number of mobile broadband Internet access connections amounted to 3.53 million, up by 18% as compared to end-2010. Thus, there were 2.56 million active mobile broadband connections achieved over mobile telephones and 0.97 million active mobile broadband connections achieved over modems/cards/USB. The total number of terminals/SIM cards allowing mobile Internet access over 3G (including 3G+), EV-DO, 4G technologies or other technologies superior to 3G reached about 5.1 million as of 30 June 2011.
The number of active Internet access providers as of mid-2011 exceeded again 1,000, after the decline registered in 2010.
The statistical data report was elaborated based on the data reported by the providers of Internet access, leased lines and data transmission services, which carried out commercial activities between 1 January and 30 June 2011, and is available for consultation here.
The FTTx technologies use fibre optic up to a certain point in the proximity of the end-users’ premises wherefrom the connection is achieved by means of the other existing technologies (e.g. coaxial cable, radio, UTP/FTP cable, xDSL). The FTTx technologies include FTTH/FTTB/FTTC/FTTN solutions, which vary in relation to the degree of proximity of the fibre optic to the end-user’s premises, as follows:
– FTTH (Fiber to the Home) = the fibre optic segment reaches the end-user’s household/premises (the fibre optic terminates at 2 m away from the end-user’s household/building, at least);
– FTTB (Fiber to the Building) = the fibre optic segment reaches the boundary of the end-user’s premises, the access therefrom being ensured by means of coaxial cable, UTP/FTP cable, radio, pairs of twisted metallic wires (e.g. VDSL) or other means;
– FTTC (Fiber to the Cabinet/Curb) = the fibre optic segment reaches a street cabinet – the fibre optic terminates at less than 300 m from the end-user’s premises, and therefrom the access is ensured by means of coaxial cable, UTP/FTP cable, radio, pairs of twisted metallic wires (e.g. VDSL) or other means;
– FTTN (Fibre to the Node) = the fibre optic segment reaches a street cabinet – the fibre optic terminates at more than 300 m from the end-user’s premises, and therefrom the access is ensured by means of coaxial cable, UTP/FTP cable, radio, pairs of twisted metallic wires (e.g. VDSL) or other means.