Although I didn't think that I would soon end up in the situation of using a 3G data network on the roads between Romanian villages, I was very pleasantly surprised to see that Orange has greatly improved its coverage outside the towns. In the last two weeks, I traveled a lot outside the localities and I can say that I rarely had the opportunity to use an EDGE data network to connect to the Internet or make a call. Orange has improved its coverage in Romania, and today the company announces that no less than 98% of the Romanian population has access to a 3G voice/data network and we are talking about more than good coverage, as you can see from the image above.
One year after the announcement of Conquest 2015, Orange Romania communicated the first results of its strategy, within which one of the most important projects was the program to expand the coverage and modernize the network in the rural area. The project aimed at the massive expansion in rural areas of the network that supports mobile internet traffic, as well as improving the quality of voice and data services, both for existing services (2G) and for new ones (3G+). In less than a year, Orange invested 110 million euros in the program to expand 3G coverage, reaching from 55% to 98% of the Romanian population.
The expansion of the coverage is part of a project started last year and in the course of a single year, the coverage of the population with 3G networks increased from 55% to 98%, all costing no less than 110 million euros. The increase in coverage and Internet browsing speeds also generated a 182% increase in data traffic, and now I can only say that I am waiting with great interest for the launch of the 4G LTE network.
The improvement of the infrastructure provides the premises for the much faster development and implementation of future services and technologies. It also allows users to download images or movies from the Internet much faster, having the opportunity to use mobile Internet services in rural areas at a transfer speed of up to 14.4 Mbps. The first quarter of 2012 showed a 182% increase in data traffic in rural areas, compared to the period before the start of the modernization program.
"Through this project, half of the Orange network, built over 14 years, has been modernized, optimized and expanded, and customers have the opportunity to benefit from access to mobile internet at higher speeds, wherever they are. The results of this project once again confirm the company's promise to invest in Romania and bring technology as close as possible to our customers." said Jean-Francois Fallacher, CEO of Orange Romania.
