17.05.2024

By end-2023, 3 out of 4 fixed internet connections in Romania were exclusively fiber-based – increasing by 13% compared to the previous year, therefore gigabit connections exceeded 2 million. Moreover, fixed internet reached into more than 80% of households, according to the statistical data report developed by ANCOM based on the information received from the providers. The European Union's Digital Decade targets for 2030 aim at gigabit connectivity for every household and ubiquitous 5G coverage in populated areas by the end of 2030. Furthermore, 8 out of 10 active mobile internet connections (21.5 million) used 4G and/or 5G in 2023, as the number of 5G connections tripled, reaching 2.3 million. Infographic available here.

ANCOM’s releasing these statistical data today marks the anniversary of the World Telecommunications and Information Society Day. From the 19^th century telegraph to the 21^st century gigabit, electronic communications are the sector with the fastest technological progress accessible to all people.

ANCOM's report on the telecom market at the end of 2023 is available here, in Romanian. Here are the main highlights:

Fixed Internet

• Increasing by 4%, the number of connections exceeded 6.6 million in 2023, 93% of which allowed speeds exceeding 100Mbps
• 31% of connections (2 million connections, up +20%) allow speeds of at least 1 Gbps
• The growth rate in the number of connections in rural areas (+5%) exceeds that in urban areas (+4%)
• The average monthly traffic reached 81 GB per inhabitant (+17%), i.e. 2.7 GB/day
• At national level, the penetration rate per 100 households is 80% (86% in urban areas and 72% in rural areas)
• By number of connections, the top 3 providers are: RCS&RDS (70%), Orange group (17%) and Vodafone (11%)

Mobile Internet

• The total number of active connections increased slightly to 21.5 million, of which 17 million used 4G and/or 5G
• The number of connections using 5G tripled compared to the end of 2022, reaching a total of 2.3 million
• 20.4 million connections were used for both mobile telephony and for mobile internet, while 1.1 million connections were used for data only
• The average monthly traffic was almost 11 GB per inhabitant (+32%)
• By number of active connections, the top 3 providers are: Orange group (37%), RCS&RDS (27%) and Vodafone (23%)

Mobile

• 23.6 million active mobile SIM cards, two-thirds of which are subscription-based
• Compared to the end of 2022, the number of subscription SIM cards saw an increase of 7%, while the number of "active" prepaid SIM cards decreased by 11%
• Total voice traffic decreased by 6% to 60 billion minutes, while the average mobile telephony traffic per inhabitant was 4 hours and 22 minutes/month and 16 SMS/month
• By number of active SIM cards, Orange Group held a 35% market share, Vodafone 28% and RCS&RDS 24%

Television

• The number of subscribers to TV services remained 7.8 million
• The trend in users’ preference to switch to cable retransmission services (+4%, up to 6.8 million subscribers) over satellite/DTH services (-22% down to 0.9 million subscribers) continues.
• By total number of subscribers at the end of 2023, RCS&RDS had a market share of 73%, Orange Group 14%, Vodafone 10%

Telecom sector revenue

• Revenues in the telecom sector stayed at the level of RON 16.9 billion in 2023, i.e. EUR 3.4 billion
• Fixed and mobile internet generated 37% of total revenues, mobile telephony 29%, TV retransmission 15%, fixed telephony 9%, and other types of networks/services 10%
• By revenues from the provision of electronic communications networks and services, the top 3 providers were: Orange Group (39%), RCS&RDS (26%) and Vodafone (24%)

Statistical data report

The statistical data report on the electronic communications market in Romania for the second semester of 2023 is prepared by ANCOM based on the statistical data reported by the providers under the obligation to transmit values of their indicators corresponding to categories of services according to Decision no. 333/2013 and is available, in Romanian, here. The developments outlined above are annual.

17 May - World Telecommunications and Information Society Day

World Telecommunications and Information Society Day marks the signing of the first International Telegraphy Convention in Paris in 1865, when the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) was created.