Telecom company Orange had revenues of EUR 937 million last year in Romania, down 3.7 percent compared to 2010. The company managed to reduce its year-on-year revenues decline, after the 7.8 percent drop in 2010. With 10.2 million customers at the end of the year and an average revenue per use of EUR 82, Orange Romania says it “has been able to strengthen its market leadership in an improving, albeit uncertain, economic context.”

The company had to write off goodwill and assets values in Romania of EUR 156 million, adding up to a total impairment of EUR 991 million at a group level.

France Telecom, the owner of Orange Romania, saw its revenues down by 1.6 percent last year, to some EUR 45.2 billion. The company attracted more customers – up 8 percent - led by rapid growth in mobile services in Africa and the Middle East. “Europe increased 0.8 percent, with growth in the majority of countries and a gradual turnaround in Romania, where the decline was limited to 3.7 percent compared with 7.8 percent in 2010,” writes the company's most recent report.

The Romanian National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) will organize the first frequency spectrum tender in Romania in the first half of 2012, for all the radio frequencies available in the 900 and 1800 MHz bands, which are currently used by operators Cosmote, Orange and Vodafone. The communications authority has extended the licenses for Orange and Vodafone until the end of 2012. Each operators will have to pay EUR 6.4 million for the license extension.

editor@romania-insider.com