Pambuccian says RomTelecom wrong

RomTelecom, a company in which the Romanian State holds a significant stake, 46%, has seen a 18-20% drop in fixed telephony revenues on a quarterly basis since the deregulation of the market on January 1, compared with 2002. Part of the market, especially that of international calls, has been conquered by smaller operators. Deputy Varujan Pambuccian, chairman of the IT&C Parliamentary Committee, says there are signs RomTelecom’s revenues will keep going down in the absence of immediate measures, such as retooling. When contacted by Ziarul Financiar for comment on the projected Q3 financials, RomTelecom’s general manager James Hubley said,” we are not expecting declines in the overall situation of the company.” The main problem Pambuccian believes RomTelecom is facing is that its management makes decisions “without seeing the overall picture of the telecommunications in Romania and having it clear in their minds that they are operating on a deregulated market.” ZF