Orange Romania sees lower revenues in Q3 due to decline in equipment sales

Orange Romania recorded a turnover of EUR 279 million in the third quarter of the year, down 2.8% compared to the same period last year, due to lower demand for equipment.

“After a dynamic start of year in terms of fiscal and telecom market regulations, at the end of the third quarter we see a rearrangement of the local market. We also see two obvious trends: a lower demand for equipment and, at the same time, a higher appetite for digital services,” said Orange Romania CEO Liudmila Climoc.

The volume of data transfer services delivered by the Romanian subsidiary of French telecom group Orange surged by 34% year-on-year in the period and 84% of the data volume was transferred under 4G technology, the company reported.

In another key development, more fintech services are being launched. After the release of contactless, physical and virtual Visa debit cards, phone payments through NFC and Apple Pay technology, Orange launched a credit facility in August: My Reserve.

“This financing solution facilitates the purchase of phones, tablets and accessories in Orange stores, and is a transparent lending tool, without commissions and additional fees, with an annual interest rate of 14%. Orange Money customers can request a loan of up to RON 10,000 (EUR 2,100), with flexible repayment that can be made between 3 and 24 months,” the statement reads.

Orange had close to 10.93 million mobile clients, up 0.3% compared to the end of September 2018, 532,000 Orange Home TV clients (up 12% yoy), and 333,000 broadband internet clients (up 28% yoy).

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