“Communications represent both one of the most dynamic sectors of the national economy and one of the most attractive sectors for the foreign investors. At the end of 2006, the number of mobile telephony services users (based on subscriptions and prepaid cards) amounted to 17.4 millions, approximately 30% more as compared to the same period of the previous year, and the penetration rate of this type of services reached approximately 81%. Moreover, the number of Internet access connections amounted to 3.3 million, with a 80% increase compared to December 2005. Among them, approximately 1.8 million are broadband connections that registered an increase of 135% compared to the end of 2005, while the broadband penetration rate reached 8.8%. Therefore, we may speak of a sector with a fantastic development and the foreign investors are obviously interested in it”, Dan Georgescu, the president of ANRCTI, declared today at the first edition of the SEE Investment Summit, organised by Business Review.
In 2006, in Romania, the electronic communications sector followed the European trend as regards the development of telephony and Internet access services, the big players from Europe and United States of America being already present on the Romanian market, with major investments.
According to the preliminary results obtained from verifying and analyzing around 90% of the statistical data reported to ANRCTI by the electronic communications networks and services providers, in 2006 the alternative providers’ market share related to the services of access to the fixed telephony networks was of approximately 20% and the number of alternative providers of fixed telephony networks on the retail market rose to 105, as compared to 64 registered by mid-2006.
The Romanian telecom market creates all the necessary conditions for the development of a successful business – a foreign investor is primarily interested in the growth rate of the sector or of the entire market. In this regard, the Romanian communications market easily overcomes markets such as the Hungarian or Polish ones, the rhythm of which – although they rank among the first places in the European Union in terms of market value – has been slower.
“The existence of certain guarantees to maintain competition at correct standards contributes greatly to the attractiveness of a market in terms of investment. ANRCTI creates these specific rights to the operators’ benefit – the possibility of an operator to interconnect under fair conditions with the networks of those operators having significant market power, the possibility to provide the users with telephony services by means of carrier selection, or the possibility to have access to the incumbent’s subscribers by means of its local loop”, Dan Georgescu added.
Together with the President of ANRCTI, the Conference was also attended by the Croatian Ambassador to Bucharest, Mr. Ivica Mastruko, by the general secretary of the National Agency for Foreign Investments, Mr. Florin Vasilache, and by representatives of Romanian and foreign companies.
The presentation held by Mr. Dan Georgescu during the conference is available here.