The voice traffic originated in the public mobile networks continues its upward trend, increasing by 24% compared to last year’s second semester – as per the final Statistical Data Report on the electronic communications sector for January 1 – June 30, 2007, published on the ANRCTI website.
In the first half of 2007, the total traffic achieved in the mobile telephone networks (excluding roaming) reached 9.7 billion minutes. On-net traffic registered the highest rate in this category – 79.3% – featuring the most consistent growth rate (+25.8%), as compared to the previous period. Off-net mobile traffic represents 15.5% of the total mobile traffic, followed by the traffic to fixed networks (3.2%) and by the traffic to international networks (2%), each of these segments having registered significant growth in comparison with the previous period.
The monthly average of the voice traffic originated by a mobile telephony user increased by 8 minutes, reaching one hour and 23 minutes, due to the half-yearly growth rate of the voice traffic volume (+24%), which exceeded the growth rate of the number of users (+12%).
Significant growth was registered also in the usage rates of other types of services. Thus, the SMS traffic, between January 1 – June 30, 2007, increased by 27% as compared to the second semester of 2006 and by 40% as to the same period of 2006, which leads to a monthly average of 13 SMS per user. The reduction of the MMS traffic, witnessed in the second semester of 2006, was followed by a 40% increase, in the first half of 2007.
The total voice traffic achieved by the users of the Romanian fixed operators (either through their own fixed public networks, or through third parties’ networks) amounted to 3.9 billion minutes, falling by approximately 8% as compared to the end of 2006. The total traffic volume achieved by the end-users of the approximately 70 alternative providers of telephone services at fixed locations (including through VoIP technology), either through their own fixed public networks, or through third parties’ networks, amounts to 1.23 billion minutes, by 5.3% more than during the previous reporting period, i.e. 31.5% of the total voice traffic at fixed locations. Among the alternative fixed operators, 35 provided access to a public fixed network and held 25% of the total number of fixed lines.
At the end of June, 2007, more than 1300 providers in Romania offered Internet access services, the number of Internet access connections reaching approximately 4.5 million (including mobile access connections via HSCSD, GPRS, CDMA, 3G and dial-up connections at fixed locations), of which more than 2 million represented subscription access connections. 1.51 million of the total number of connections are broadband fixed access connections, whereas 0.82 million are broadband mobile access connections, therefore the penetration rate of broadband fixed and mobile Internet access, per 100 inhabitants, reached 11%.
The services of audio-visual programme retransmission attracted 4.6 million subscribers (by 4% more than at the end of 2006), especially based on an increase by 57.4% of the number of subscribers to DTH satellite networks.
The Report presents the main indicators and trends registered by the Romanian electronic communications sector in the segments of fixed and mobile telephony, Internet access, services of retransmission of audio-visual service programmes, leased line services and data transmissions, between January 1 and June 30, 2007. The statistical data report, elaborated based on the statistical data reported by approximately 2,000 of the providers of electronic communications networks or services active in the first half of 2007, is available here.