Telekom Romania announced during this day its achievements for the year 2014 and the objectives for the year 2015, some extremely interesting information being provided by the operator regarding its past and future evolution in Romania. According to Telekom Romania, at the end of 2014 it was the market leader in Romania, as well as turnover, with a market share of 30%, being seconded by Orange with 26%, Vodafone with 20% and RCS & RDS with 13%. Telekom Romania recorded revenues of over 1 billion euros during 2014, 606 million euros being generated by the former COSMOTE, 439 million euros from the former Romtelecom.
Market leader and doubling of 4G coverage
The leading position on the Romanian market, as well as the turnover, is to be consolidated in 2015 through investments in infrastructure, those from Telekom intending to expand the fixed internet network through FTTH and connect as many Romanians as possible to the gigabit network. Moreover, Telekom intends to double its 4G coverage in Romania in relation to the population, so that it could rise to the second position in the list of operators with the best 4G coverage. As part of the operator's strategy, there is also the launch of new fixed-mobile convergent packages for both natural and legal customers.
Answering phone calls in the call center in 10 seconds
As part of the development strategy, Telekom intends to reduce the waiting time for answering telephone calls in the call center to only 10 seconds. More precisely, all customers who benefit from fixed-mobile integrated services will be taken over by Telekom operators in less than 10 seconds after calling the call center, a first for the Romanian market. Telekom did not provide details regarding the internal procedure behind the implementation of such a system, nor if the sorting of customers will be done at the time of the call or if a special number will be created for those who have integrated services.
Apart from private customers, Telekom Romania also announces the implementation of new services for corporate customers, so that they will benefit from the opportunity to buy fixed-mobile integrated services together with software licenses for Microsoft products and cloud services. Separately, those from Telekom also announced the offer of an option to record TV shows or favorite series in the cloud, the latter system to be launched later this year.
Finally, Telekom Romania announces investments of 160 million euros in infrastructure in 2015, part of the amount to be generated by the sale of some real estate assets. You can find additional details in the press release below.
Telekom Romania announces the strategy for 2015:
over 160 million euros of investments in the network and the best experience for customers
- The objectives for 2014 were achieved: over 1 billion euros in revenue and market share, as turnover, of 30% – the basis for a solid financial performance;
- 2015: new investments in optical fiber and 3G/4G networks, in providing a top consumer experience and in innovation;
- Soon, Telekom customers who have converged fixed-mobile packages will be picked up in the call center in less than 10 seconds;
- Innovative cloud services for business customers.
Telekom Romania announced on Thursday the plans for 2015, which continue the strategic approach from 2013-2014, focusing on two major directions: top experiences for consumers and technological leadership through innovation, in all fields.
In 2015, Telekom will invest in Romania more than 160 million euros in the development of the communications infrastructure, in order to offer customers quality and reliable services and products, to stimulate fixed-mobile convergence and become the preferred integrated telecom operator of Romanians .
"In 2015, we will direct most of the planned investments, over 160 million euros, to continue developing the network and ensure technological leadership. Part of this budget will come from the exploitation of collateral assets, such as the real estate portfolio and the old copper infrastructure, which will generate the necessary capital to fulfill this objective. Practically, in 2015, every meter of used old technology, such as copper, will be transformed into another new, modern one, such as FTTH technology", said Nikolai Beckers, CEO of the Telekom Romania group of companies.
10 seconds waiting time in the call center for customers of integrated packages
"Integrated offers are the future in the telecom industry and we are best positioned to win the competition. In short, the story of our fixed-mobile converged services is as follows: everything from a single provider, the best value, maximum comfort, with a single invoice, a single call center and an attractive terminal offer. But we will not stop here: we will improve the processes, expand the product offer and make sure that we offer our customers of fixed-mobile packages the best and fastest service in the call center. Soon, these customers will be picked up in the call center in less than 10 seconds", declared Nikolai Beckers.
From the launch of T until the end of December 2014, Telekom Romania won 46.000 customers for its fixed-mobile convergent packages.
The integrated offers are even more attractive thanks to the new IPTV service, which offers the best TV experience on the Romanian market. Together with exclusive sports content such as the Champions League and Europe League, available since September 2015, the integrated packages are a winning combination for Telekom customers.
Innovative services for B2B customers
On the B2B segment, companies will continue to benefit from a complete portfolio of fixed and mobile solutions, applications and integrated IT solutions. To these, innovative cloud and M2M solutions can be added, aimed at increasing the competitiveness of companies. Also, "Cloud VPN", an innovative service for virtual private networks, launched this month for the first time by Deutsche Telekom in Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia, will also become available for customers in Romania.
Over 1 million homes connected with fiber optic and doubling of 4G coverage by the end of the year
To maintain technological leadership, Telekom will continue the IP migration of current customers. Thus, they will benefit from modern, improved services. Also, the company will continue expanding the network based on optical fiber (FTTH/FTTB). The estimated number of homes covered by optical fiber by the end of the year is one million, while by the end of 2016 coverage will reach 2 million households. On the mobile segment, 4G coverage will double by the end of the year.
The initiatives aimed at capitalizing on the old copper infrastructure will continue, as will the efforts to become the number one supplier in the wholesale backhaul segment. The process of monetizing the collateral assets, with the aim of financing the growth of the company, will generate income for the main activities. The sale of certain properties during 2015 is estimated to generate tens of millions of euros for investments in increasing the quality of the network.
The innovative approach will be reflected not only on the operational side, but also through the development of areas such as eBusiness, eSales, eCommerce and ePayment.
"We notice that innovation tends to have shorter and shorter cycles. What does this mean for us? We need to absorb more technological expertise, continuously improve our capabilities, offer faster and better services", Nikolai Beckers concluded.
2014 achievements
The results obtained by Telekom Romania in 2014 reflect the strategy based on commercial awards and a cost control policy, combined with a focus on core activities. These directions supported the organization to offer services based on the latest technologies, such as FTTH and 3G/4G. 2014 brought an integrated experience for customers, with a new portfolio of service packages and a multi-screen platform.
With the launch of the T brand, Telekom Romania made a new promise to its customers, in line with the vision of becoming the number one integrated operator, with a sustainable position in all segments and all geographical areas. Telekom Romania is the only operator that can capitalize on fixed-mobile synergies along the entire operational chain, in order to offer customers a top experience. In an extremely competitive market, the company operates with a very efficient and focused model. Telekom Romania achieved its goals for 2014: over one billion euros in revenue and a 30% market share, as revenue, as a result of the Think One strategy.
Think One is a multi-year strategy, based on three main pillars and ten major initiatives, many implemented last year:
- the development of commercial and customer care initiatives, for to create the number one integrated telecom operator in Romania;
- changing the rules of the game, simultaneously with
- transformation of the operational model.
Within the first pillar, a series of important initiatives were launched last year: convergent fixed-mobile products, rebranding, integration of the sales force. In the B2B segment, the company focused on becoming the largest systems integrator.
Within the second pillar, Telekom launched a simple, transparent portfolio with a fair price, consolidated partnerships in the wholesale segment and increased investments in networks.
On the third pillar, the main initiatives consisted in increasing the quality of the customer experience and focusing on the main business activities.
Regarding consumer experience, the T brand means integrated offers with multi-screen TV content, focus on the best sports competitions and exclusive content.
