Orange and Vodafone want to provide Internet access via Romtelecom wires

Orange and Vodafone, the largest telecom operators on the Romanian market, plan to provide Internet access services via Romtelecom’s fixed telephony infrastructure, with the two giants asking the telecom watchdog to alter regulations on access to the infrastructure of the largest fixed telephony provider in Romania (Romtelecom). Orange and Vodafone officials have voiced this intention in interviews given to ZF this year, but did not provide further details. “Something that Orange would be particularly interested in this year is a more efficient regulation of the local loop unbundling (access to Romtelecom’s fixed infrastructure). Both Orange and other operators want to enter this market, and if this happens, you will probably see a significant rise in investments and in the number of clients for Internet services,” said Richard Moat, former Orange CEO. “In Western European countries, the former monopolistic fixed telephony operator, like Romtelecom is in Romania, whose infrastructure is built with government money, is the operator that opens its infrastructure. This would bring benefits both to companies and to residential customers, resulting in tighter competition, higher quality and more significant investments in the sector,” says Liliana Solomon, CEO of Vodafone Romania.
Orange and Vodafone’s request to alter the regulatory framework could turn into the battle of the year as far as telecom market regulation is concerned, with the operators’ share of the Internet service provision market being at stake, a market worth over 300 million euros.