Romania

[RO] Developments in the Electronic Communications and Postal Services Markets

IRIS 2010-10:1/37

Eugen Cojocariu

Radio Romania International

Due to the economic crisis and its effects on the Romanian markets, the Autoritatea Naţională pentru Administrare şi Reglementare în Comunicaţii (National Authority for Administration and Regulation in Communications - ANCOM) decided not to charge the monitoring tariff owed by the operators of electronic communications and postal services for 2010.

According to ANCOM the Romanian electronic communications and postal services markets reached at the end of 2009 an estimated value of EUR 4,425 billion. ANCOM stated on 20 September 2010 that the aggregate value of the two markets was around 12.5 percent less than in 2008, based on the annual financial statements submitted by the operators. In 2009, the first year directly affected by the global financial crisis, the electronic communications market accounted for EUR 4,01 billion, whereas the postal services market accounted for EUR 414 million.

Despite the general 12.5 percent decrease, the electronic communications market registered in 2009 a series of significant growths in certain segments. For instance, as of 31 December 2009, there were 2.8 million fixed broadband internet access connections, which is up 12 percent compared to the same period in 2008; the number of mobile broadband internet access connections reached 2.5 million, which is up 66 percent compared to the period to the end of 2008.

The President of ANCOM declared he hoped the waiver of the payment of the monitoring tariff would be an incentive for the communications market to resume growth in 2010.