EBRD lends EUR 15 mln to DCS for cable TV and Internet in Romania's rural areas

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will grant a EUR 15 million loan to cable TV operator Digital Cable Systems (DCS) in Romania. The loan will support the expansion of the company's digital TV services and broadband Internet, with an aim to serve smaller towns and localities.

DCS runs under the brands AKTA, for individual consumers, and Dial Telecom, targeting corporate users.

“While the cable TV and broadband market is highly competitive in Romania’s large cities, the rural areas remain underserved. This project will help redress this regional divide and will give a boost to the competition in smaller towns and localities, to the benefit of the local residents and economy,” said Alain Pilloux, EBRD Managing Director for Industry, Commerce and Agribusiness. DCS currently operates in more than 2,000 localities in 23 out of 41 counties in Romania. The company was established in 2005 and is controlled by the private equity fund PineBridge New Europe Partners, in which the EBRD is a limited partner. According to the EBRD, high speed internet access in larger cities in Romania is among the highest in the world. “However, fixed broadband internet penetration is still low in Romanian regions and rural areas. The pay TV market in Romania is highly fragmented with approximately 480 operators in the country,” reads the EBRD statement. editor@romania-insider.com