14.12.2018

"The increase in the number of connections and Internet traffic is also reflected in the operators’ revenues from the provision of these services. Despite that in the first half of 2018, compared to the second half of 2017, the total revenues declined by 3%, the revenue from Internet services increased by 3%. The average monthly revenue per capita from the provision of electronic communications networks and services was RON 66.3 in the first half of this year," said Sorin Grindeanu, president of ANCOM.

Revenues generated in the electronic communications market

The revenues obtained the provision of electronic communications services amounted to RON 8 billion in the first half of 2018. The revenue generated by the provision of fixed and mobile Internet services grew by 3% in this period and accounted for 31% of the total market revenue. Although it went down 6%, the revenue from mobile telephony services continued to hold the highest share i.e. 37%, while the revenues from the fixed telephony market and from the provision of TV programme retransmission services stand for 11% of the total market.

In EUR, the total revenue from this market amounted to approximately 1.7 billion, down 5%.

The monthly revenue per capita obtained from the provision of electronic communications networks and services was RON 66.3. Out of this, RON 24.7 is the monthly income per capita obtained from the provision of mobile telephony services, RON 20.6 - from the provision of fixed and mobile Internet access services, and RON 7.6, respectively RON 7.5 lei - from the provision of fixed telephony and TV retransmission services.

Mobile telephony

In the first half of this year there were 22.2 million active users of mobile telephony (-2%), of which 12.3 million (+2%) were subscriber-based users and 9.9 million (-4%) active prepaid card users. Based on the number of active SIM cards as of the end of June, the market leader held a market share of 39%, the second largest provider 30%, the next one 18%, and the other providers 13%.

In the first half of 2018, on average, a Romanian initiated voice calls totalling 4 hours and 51 minutes and sent 59 messages a month. The average call duration was 2 minutes and 45 seconds.

Fixed telephony

The fixed telephony market keeps the downward trend, both as regards the number of access lines (-3%, reaching 3.8 million) and as regards the number of subscribers (-4%, reaching 3.2 million). On June 30, 2018, the fixed telephony penetration rate per 100 households was 40%.

The average monthly voice traffic per capita continued to decline, reaching 10 minutes, less than 1 minute compared to the average for the previous semester, while a call lasted for 2 minutes and 53 seconds, on average.

Based on the number of subscribers as of 30 June 2018, the market leader held a market share of 44%, the second largest provider 35%, the next one 15%, and the other providers 5%. 

TV programme retransmission services

The number of subscribers to paid TV programme retransmission services, 7.45 million, registered no fluctuation in the first half of this year. Regarding the support used, 5.04 million users subscribed to cable networks (+ 1%), 2.28 million received satellite TV retransmission services (-2%), and 0.13 million used IPTV services (+ 8%).

Depending on the number of subscribers on 30 June 2018, the TV market leader had a market share of 48%, the second largest provider 20%, the next one 18%, whereas the other providers accounted for 14%.

Statistical data report

The statistical data report on the Romanian electronic communications market for the first half of 2018 is carried out by ANCOM on the basis of the statistical data reported half-yearly by the providers under the obligation to send to ANCOM the values of the indicators corresponding to the categories of services according to Decision no. 333/2013 and is available, in Romanian, here.