Mobile telephony generates 56.7% of communication income

The main engines of growth in Romania’s electronic comunication sector were mobile telephone and audio-visual services, according to the National Regulatory Authority for Communications and Information Technology (ANRCTI).

“While audio-visual communication services were subject to the highest average annual growth rates, at 40 percent, mobile telephony has become the main generator of income in the sector, at 56.7% of total gross revenue,” according to ANRCTI President, Dan Georgescu.

The penetration of broadband services continues to be unsatisfactory, in spite of accelerated growth, while fixed telephony appears to be experiencing “zero growth” in terms of revenue and penetration.

The principal deficiencies of the fixed telephony sector include a low level of consumer satisfaction and limitations for them to choose their supplier. Romtelecom has a market share of 74 percent of access lines for individuals and 80 percent of corporate access lines. “In this sector prices are also quite high, and there is limited transparency for consumers. Furthermore, there is a continuing lag in terms of access between urban and rural areas,” added Georgescu.

By mid-2007 the penetration of broadband Internet access services was up to 7 percent, one of the lowest rates among the 27 European Union member states, although growth in this sector is accelerated, at an annual average rate exceeding 100 percent.