Romania - Mobile Infrastructure, Broadband, Operators - Statistics and Analyses

Romania - Mobile Infrastructure, Broadband, Operators - Statistics and Analyses

Romania's mobile market is served by four network operators, three of which are the local subsidiaries of the major regional players Vodafone Group, Orange Group and Deutsche Telekom. Penetration rates are average for the region, though this is partly attributed to customers opting to have multiple SIM cards. Mobile broadband growth has been strong following network investments which have extended the reach of LTE services. Growth is expected to continue solidly during the next few years following the launch of commercial 5G services in late 2019. These services will be supported by the release of additional spectrum in 2020.

One of the largest broadband players, UPC Romania, was acquired by Vodafone Group in July 2019 in a development which will greatly expand the convergence ambitions of Vodafone Romania. Other MNOs which have expanded into the fixed-line market include Orange Romania through a network sharing deal with Telekom Romania. In September 2019 Orange Romania began building its own fibre infrastructure.

This report provides a concise overview of Romania's growing mobile market, covering market developments, as well as profiling the major operators and offering a variety of financial and performance statistics. It also provides an update on spectrum auctions and regulatory developments.

Key developments:

Digi Mobil and Vodafone Romania launch 5G services;
Cost of 5G licences reduced;
Government scraps SIM card registration scheme over privacy concerns;
Vodafone Romania trials NB-IoT, completes acquisition of UPC Romania;
Orange Romania invests 500 million in its networks;
Lycamobile launches services as an MVNO;
Regulators 4G frequency auction brings in 682 million;
Report update includes the regulators market data to December 2018, State Statistics data for 2018, telcos operating and financial data to Q3 2019, recent market developments.

Companies mentioned in this report:

Vodafone Romania, Orange Romania, Telekom Romania (Cosmote Romania), Digi Mobil, Telemobil