 |
 |
|
|
|
fpo50px |
 |
 |
 |
nefpo100090s |
 |
According to PMR analysts in 2007 the telecoms market in Romania again recorded a double-digit growth rate, driven by the rising revenues of mobile operators and ISPs. Even though the increasing competition and erosion of prices of services flatten the growth curve, in the years to come Romania’s telecoms sector will continue as one of the most rapidly developing in Europe.
According to the report “The telecommunications market in Romania 2008. Development forecasts for 2008-2012” issued in July 2008 by the PMR research and consulting company in 2007 the telecommunications market in Romania went up by 14% to RON 14bn in comparison with 2006. This was the lowest rate of increase recorded since 2000. The falling growth rate is an effect of steadily decreasing prices of telecommunications services, which drive down the pace of growth of revenues of telecommunications operators.
On the other hand, Romania is still one of the fastest developing ICT markets in Europe (to compare, the Polish market increased by some 2% in the same period). Moreover, even though the competition will intensify and the prices will be on the wane, in 2008 the Romanian telecoms market is expected to continue to develop at a double-digit rate, though the growth dynamics will drop by about 3 p.p. to 10.6%.
In 2007 the most rapidly growing segment was DLISP (data transmission, line rental, internet access), which expanded by approx. 23% and was worth RON 1.53bn. Thus, the share of the DLISP segment in the entire telecommunication services market in Romania rised by only 1 p.p. to 11%. The main reason for such a small increase was the continued very good performance of mobile telephony – in 2007 mobile operators accounted for 67% of the market’s value (2006: 64%).
Growing user numbers remained the key factor determining the growth of the market’s value. ANRCTI, Romania’s regulator for the telecommunications industry, reports that between 2005 and 2007 the number of active SIM cards increased almost twofold. At the end of 2007, the penetration of the mobile market in Romania reached 106%. However, this figure does not automatically translate into the actual number of users. Instead, it shows that many of the existing mobile telephone owners have more than one SIM card – in 2007 the average number of SIM cards per user was 1.4.
Favourable macroeconomic situation, higher disposable incomes and falling prices of telecommunication services made the number of Internet users increase rapidly between 2003 and 2007. Based on data provided by the operators and official statistics published by the regulator we estimate that every year the number of internet users went up by almost 90%, to reach 5.8m in 2007.
These figures must be adjusted, though, by the data for users who connect with the Internet via their mobile phones. Very frequently, they do it only occasionally – to download a logo or ringtone. Thus, the official base of customers using their mobiles to connect with the internet comprises persons who can have or declare having such access, rather than actual subscribers paying fixed monthly charge. The number of internet users net of such persons may be estimated at some 3.6m in 2007.
The main players on the Romanian telecoms market in 2007 were Romtelecom, the largest fixed-line operator, and RCS & RDS and UPC Romania, the leading CTV operators. Mobile operators (particularly Orange and Vodafone) also have fairly strong positions. Still, a significant share in the market is held by small local providers.
From 2000 to 2006, the number of internet service providers in Romania rose almost 30-fold, driven primarily by the growing interest in internet access among corporate and individual customers.
The sharpest increase in ISP numbers was seen in 2003, when ANRCTI passed regulations whereby alternative operators gained access to Romtelecom network. In 2007 the number of ISPs active on the Romanian market declined slightly due to the consolidation processes.
PMR forecast that the DLISP market in Romania will expand by about 20% (in value terms) in 2008. The two-digit growth rate may continue well into 2012, powered by the performance of the ISP market, and in particular the broadband internet access, whose popularity will be rising, especially among individual users. The market will grow also on the back of new access technologies (such as WiMAX) and bundled services. There is every sign that over the next five years the number of broadband users in Romania will almost double.
Source: PMR Publications (August 2008)
The jury of the business plans contest Ajujaht 2007, that took place for the first time, selected the team CellTells as the best team of the contest for proposing a voice guidance calendar interface for mobile devices
The design aimed at mobile phones, PDAs and smart phones allows entries and reminders to be made in the calendar of a mobile device by speaking into the microphone, not typing with an uncomfortable keypad. CellTells uses voice recognition technology licensed from a global voice recognition market leader. The team that was awarded the EEK 300 000 grand prize included Daniel Muldia and Mikk-Alvar Olle.
“We would like to thank all smart young people who participated in the contest. Both the team that submitted the winning design and many other finalists proved that inventiveness has not disappeared from Estonia. Ajujaht is a positive initiative, which was confirmed by the just concluded contest,” said Jaan Männik, chairman of the jury of Ajujaht 2007.
Second prize was awarded to the team Flow, whose business plan was a more efficient use of warehouse space without losing speed of operation. The idea is to place into use the free space in the corridors that are located between rows of shelves. The design is mainly suitable for a pallets warehouse. The team that was awarded the EEK 160 000 prize included Ülari Kalamees and Hendrik Hagelberg.
Third prize, EEK 100 000, was awarded to the project Textmarket, whose plan was to develop an Internet service that allows users to mark a text section on web pages. The team consisted of Märt Pikkani, Alar Mäerand, Ingrid Aulik, Margus Räim and Marek Zäuram.
The special prize "Eesti paremaks" ("A better Estonia!") was awarded by Tallinn to the team Artiste, whose project stipulated the establishment of a network of little known but talented artists, including handicapped people, and the distribution of their works of art.
The special prize “Teadus äriks” (“Science for business”), awarded by the City of Tartu, was given to the team Hansa, who designed the plan for a small nature-friendly combined heat and power supply station operating on the principle of pyrolysis.
AS Helmes awarded its special prize “Maailmavallutajad” (“World conquerors”) to the team 2F4Y, whose plan was to make sports contests more attractive via LED-modules and help sportsmen achieve better results.
Ajujaht 2007 was a national contest for students and young scholars for finding the best business ideas. The contest was launched by Enterprise Estonia and organised by SEB Eesti Ühispank, BDA Consulting OÜ and INSEAD Business School, together with partners. The organisation of the contest was co-funded from the European Social Fund.
The patron of Ajujaht 2007 was Prime Minister Andrus Ansip. The jury consisted of Jaan Männik (chairman), Aavo Kokk, Allar Korjas, Andrei Korobeinik, August Kull, Eero Tohver, Gunnar Kobin, Hanno Haamer, Indrek Kelder, Indrek Saul, Jüri Kaljundi, Kalju Rüütli, Karoli Hindriks, Kristjan Kalda, Madis Võõras, Marek Kiisa and Taavi Kotka.
Altogether, more than a hundred business plans were submitted to the contest with a prize fund of more than EEK 700 000. The next Ajujaht will begin in autumn 2008.
On the photo attached: Ajujaht 2007 prize ceremony, on the photo (from left): team CellTells members Daniel Muldia and Mikk-Alvad Olle and Riho Hunt, Member of the Management Board of SEB Eesti Ühispank, who presented the EEK 300 000 grand prize. •
Source: EAS (4-3-08)
Europe - Wireless telecommunications
The Municipality of Ljubljana has launched work on a wireless broadband network which will initially cover the city centre and, by 2013, the entire municipality. The network, based on Wi-Fi technology, will provide access to the municipality's portal and limited free access to a wide range of internet services.
According to the director of the city administration Vasja Butina, the use of up-to-date IT will be a boost to the city's economy, while also provide wellbeing to its residents.
The project is being overseen by a special group, which has divided the project into three phases: providing coverage to the city centre by the end of 2009, coverage within the Ljubljana motorway ring by 2011, and coverage within the entire municipality by 2013.
The costs of the wireless network for the first phase are estimated at EUR 4.35m, said Butina, who added that it was too early to speak about the costs of the entire project.
22-7-08
Ufone, one of the leading mobile carriers in Pakistan, has launched the Awaz SMS‚ service based upon the pioneering Voice SMS technology from Kirusa, the world‚s leading vendor of Voice SMS and a leading developer of mobile value added services.
Ufone subscribers across Pakistan can now send personalized Awaz SMS‚ messages to friends, family and colleagues across mobile networks in Pakistan. The Awaz SMS service is available nationwide to all Ufones‚s prepaid and postpaid subscribers. To deliver the Voice SMS solution to Ufone, Kirusa has deployed Voice SMS application and multimodal platform, integrated with HP open call media platform in the Ufone network in Islamabad.
Kirusa‚s Voice SMS technology allows its clients to offer the ultimate seamless Voice SMS experience to their mobile subscribers. The service provides a user the facility to send SMS messages without having to go through the pain of typing a message on mobile phone keypads; instead a user is simply required to dial "99" followed by the recipient‚s phone number, and records a short message of 30 seconds, in the language of his/her choice. A Ufone subscriber will get a network call that will take him to his Voice SMS.
If the recipient is on another network he/she will get an SMS message from the sender, and can directly dial a predefined number in the message to access the recorded message. After listening to the message, Ufone subscribers can reply to an Awaz SMS‚ by voice, or by text, and can also forward the message if they like. He/she can also dial *0* to retrieve new messages, and *1* to retrieve old messages.
The user also has the option to schedule the Awaz SMS for sending the message at a later predefined time. A subscriber on another network also has an option to reply to an Awaz SMS sent by a Ufone subscriber. A number of other enhanced features are also available.
Ufone subscribers will pay PKR 0.75 (USD 0.018) to send an Awaz SMS.‚ They will be able to listen to the message free of charge for the first time, and will pay PKR 0.50 (USD 0.012) per minute for subsequent listens.
"We have always believed in maintaining a strong focus on high quality of service and providing innovative solutions to add value to the lives of our subscribers. We believe that Awaz SMS will be just the right market initiative to fulfill the need of the masses. We are happy that we worked with Kirusa to bring this service to the market mainly because of their proactive stance and industry leading technology platforms," said Asher Yaqoob, CMO, Ufone.
"Awaz SMS will have tremendous appeal to youth along with servicing the messaging needs of the low literacy market segment. It will have all the colors of emotion and will allow our subscribers to give a personalized touch when they communicate," said Mr Ali Ikram, Head of VAS, Ufone Pakistan.
"Our customers can be confident in our ability to help them deliver a world class service today and in the future," said Kirusa CEO, Inderpal Singh Mumick. He further added, „We are pleased to work with Ufone to bring the Voice SMS service to their mobile subscribers in Pakistan and we congratulate Ufone on the launch of the Voice SMS service."
Ufone is an Etisalat Group Company and is Pakistan‚s second largest cellular operator. The company‚s customer base has now crossed 15.5 million. Ufone‚s service is available in more than 3072 cities, towns, villages, tehsil head quarters and highways. The company employs more than 2200 people. The company operates with a franchise network of 300 plus and 25 company owned customer service centers along with a distribution network of 150,000 outlets across Pakistan.
Kirusa is the world‚s leading vendor of Voice SMS and a leading developer of value added mobile services that provide the freedom of multimodality. Kirusa‚s solutions include the hugely successful KV.SMS˙, the world‚s most advanced "Voice SMS" solution, which allows mobile subscribers to send and reply to SMS messages with voice, and works on all handsets and on all networks. •
8-4-08
Cantabria infinita
Cueva de El Soplao • Año Santo Lebaniego • Turismo y gastronomía
Propuestas en Brasil
Cabo Frío: paraíso a 200 km de Río • Niterói: playas, arquitectura y agenda cultural • El camino de Niemeyer: recorrido arquitectónico
Propuestas en Argentina
Ruta Nacional 40: Recorrido de la parte Norte • Recorrido del Centro (Cuyo) • Recorrido de la parte Sur (Patagonia)
Propuestas de turismo
en la Comunidad Valenciana
Ibi, Onil, Foia de Castalla • Belén de Tirisiti - Patrimonio cultural en Alcoi • Los Baños del Almirante (Valencia del s.XIV) • Mundo Naval en el museo Príncipe Felipe • Arte rupestre valenciano (Museo de la Valltorta)
Transporte aéreo
Air Nostrum • Ryanair • Spanair • Vueling
