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Fixed internet traffic increased by more than 50% in 2020

 02.06.2021

”The statistical data on the electronic communications market in 2020 are often surprising. They reveal reversed trends, unusual dynamics, changes in long-term rankings. Moreover, according to forecasts made at the beginning of the pandemic, the demand for fixed internet reached new records, with an increase by 51% in traffic volume and by 8% in number of connections. Three quarters of the 2020 increase in the number of connections was registered in rural areas and reflects an unrelenting trend of narrowing Romania's connectivity gap. However, this urban-rural gap could be substantially smaller if local and central authorities took actual steps to simplify the building permit issuance and to reduce barriers to network roll-out in commercially less attractive areas. I hope that, in this pandemic year, all political and administrative decision-makers have understood the special importance of telecom networks, which have become essential, vital for almost every aspect of economic and social life.”, declared Eduard LOVIN, Vice-President of ANCOM.

Main highlights of the 2020 Statistical Data Report:

Fixed internet traffic increased by 51%, the highest growth registered in recent years, while mobile internet traffic increased by 30%, less than in previous years.

Fixed internet

  •  5.7 million fixed internet connections at end-2020 (+8% y.o.y.), 4.5 million - i.e. approx. 80% - of which were ultra-fast connections (over 100 Mbps).
  • Boosted by the health crisis, the total fixed internet traffic soared in 2020 (by 51%), as the average monthly fixed internet traffic/inhabitant reached 44 GB/month.
  • At national level, on average, 7 out of 10 households have a fixed internet connection, i.e. 8/10 urban households and 6/10 rural households; this gap narrowed in 2020, as the growth pace of rural connections (+16%) exceeded that of urban connections (+4%).
  • Considering the number of fixed internet connections installed at the end of 2020, RCS&RDS held a market share of 59%, Telekom Group 19%, and other providers 22%. 

Mobile internet

  • 20.4 million active mobile internet connections by end-2020 (+3%), two thirds (13.6 million) of them being 4G or 5G connections (+13%).
  •  Total mobile internet traffic increased by 30% compared to 2019, the monthly traffic averaging 4.9 GB/inhabitant
  • Considering the number of active mobile internet connections at the end of 2020, Orange held a market share of 39%, Vodafone 25%, while other providers totalled 36%.  

Fixed and mobile telephony

  • 22.6 million active mobile telephony SIM cards, of which: 60% subscription-based and 40% prepaid cards.
  • The number of active prepaid mobile telephony SIM cards saw a decrease by 6%, whereas the number of subscription-based SIM cards increased by only 3%, the overall number of active SIM cards witnessing a slight downturn, by 0.3%.
  • In 2020, the average mobile telephony traffic/inhabitant amounted to 5h 8min/month, respectively 30 SMS/month, therefore the total voice traffic increased by 8% y.o.y.
  • Considering the number of active SIM cards at the end of 2020, Orange held a market share of 38%, Vodafone 30%, the other providers totalling 32%. 
  • Despite the fact that the downward trend in the number of fixed telephony access lines continued in 2020, reaching 3 million (-10%), the voice traffic witnessed annual growth (+7%) after years of persistent decline.
  • The end of 2020 saw a historic shift at the top of the fixed telephony providers’ ranking: almost 20 years since the market liberalisation, RCS&RDS held the largest market share by number of subscribers (39%), followed by Telekom Group (38%), the rest of the providers totalling 23%. 

Television

  • 7.8 million subscriptions to TV services, 5.8 of which were cable TV subscriptions. 
  • Considering the number of subscribers at end-2020, RCS&RDS held a market share of 61%, Telekom Group 15%, the rest totalling 24%.

Telecom revenues

  • The revenues registered in the telecom sector slightly grew, by 1% y.o.y., reaching RON16.7 billion (over EUR3.4 billion), i.e. 1.6% of the GDP.
  • Considering the structure of the total revenues from the market, mobile telephony generated 39%, internet (fixed and mobile) 31%, TV programme retransmission 14%, the other services totalling 16%.
  • On average, the monthly revenue in the telecom sector was RON72 per inhabitant, RON1 higher than the 2019 average.
  • Considering the revenues registered in 2020, Orange held a market share of 25%, Vodafone 24%, Telekom Group 24%, the rest of the providers totalling 26%. 

The Statistical Data Report

ANCOM made the Statistical Data Report on the 2020 electronic communications market in Romania based on the statistical data reported every semester, by the operators under the obligation to send the Authority the values of the indicators corresponding to the service categories provided in Decision no. 333/2013. The Report is available, in Romanian, here.