An interview with Dr. Orhan Coşkun, CEO of ALBtelecom and Eagle Mobile
They were the first to increase competition in a service which had been a duopoly for years, and now that the mobile telephony is fully liberalized and the market has become more aggressive than ever, they feel more comfortable to face the pressures. Dr. Orhan Coşkun, CEO of ALBtelecom and Eagle Mobile, emphasizes in an interview with “Monitor” magazine that Eagle Mobile will continue to increase its market presence.
– How would you rate the performance of the telecommunications market during 2011 (the data show a market decline, as measured by the annual turnover in ALL by about 3.5%)? What has caused this decline in your opinion?
There are several factors that have influenced the decline of the telecommunications market. The most important among these factors is the reflection of the global economic crisis in Albania. It is clear that this has significantly affected the purchasing power of consumers. Price reduction as a result of fierce competition and the market entry of another operator has made the telecommunications market grow substantially and has specifically affected the reduction of incomes. Now we have an oversupplied market in Albania. SIM card penetration in the country is more than 150 percent. This means that the market has matured.
There was a monopoly market regarding 3G service provision after the grant of the first license. Later on, another operator received the second license, but this market is not open yet. In our view, the initiation of Number Portability Service has made the competition more aggressive, particularly regarding the business service sector. Since the first day we entered the market, we required the permission of Number Portability Service.
You can now find a good competition in the market in terms of expensive equipment and smart phones.
– What are your market expectations for 2012?
As Eagle Mobile, we will continue to bring the best offers and services, as we have done since the first day we entered the market. At the same time, we expect to have a growing interest and awareness for Number Portability Service, 3G and the benefits they bring.
Customers are focused on equipments and services provided through them, and this is why the equipment market will grow along with the telecommunications market in the country.
We expect more competition in the market, but we are pleased about this, because it was Eagle Mobile Company that brought this competition for the first time. Through this, we are confident that Eagle Mobile will continue to enhance its market presence with more offers, services and new customers who will be part of our family.
– What was the performance of your company in 2011, in an environment of market decline and competition increase?
Eagle Mobile has had a constant position in the market, in terms of subscribers’ percentage and has shown a positive trend in the Number Portability Service. Recently, “Super Riniring” community has proven to be a great success among individual customers with the latest offers in the market. Only during the last year “Super Riniring” has tripled the number of subscribers, realizing a very large increase in the market. Also, the number of Eagle Mobile postpaid subscribers continues to have a significant increase, and particularly in the public sector it continues to lead the market.
– What was your company’s number of subscribers by the end of 2011?
In total we have reached 1.2 million subscribers, and I am proud and happy to say that this number is still growing. But the most important part is not the total number of ported numbers, but the satisfaction of every customer of Eagle Mobile in every corner of Albania. We are working and trying to bring the best to them.
– What is the position and situation of your company regarding the Mobile Number Portability Service which started last year?
We are one of the most successful operators in Mobile Number Portability with some very positive results. The most loyal subscribers in comparison with other operators have proven to be in Eagle. People really appreciate the new and attractive services of Eagle Mobile. Our plans, which you will learn in the coming weeks, will be specifically oriented toward this line of services.
– Could you tell us about your company’s plans and strategies for 2012? What will be your competition strategy in the market?
New services and value to customers will be the key differentiator for Eagle Mobile in 2012. Eagle has always been and continues to be a company with surprises for its customers. This year will be another year of surprises for them. But if we speak about them now, it will not be a surprise any more. I would like to invite them to follow us and I thank them for being part of this family.
Furthermore, in 2012 our fixed operator ALBtelecom will offer many innovations and several packages that will further enhance customer satisfaction. In order to achieve our goal, to become the largest operator offering solutions in fixed and mobile telephony, we want to offer our customers the best prices with best services, using either our technological opportunities or trade opportunities.
– You just mentioned ALBtelecom in your answer, how do you evaluate its performance during last year?
During recent years, ALBtelecom has significantly invested to cover all the aspects of network and systems of the company. The transmission network is significantly improved in almost all cities, which are interconnected with optical fibers. The network access is going through a stage of a “full replacement” with the latest technology available and at the same time the network is extended to new areas where it didn’t exist before and there is a growing demand for telecommunications services. As a result of these efforts, the network coverage has increased by 30 percent.
Increasing consumer demands for online services is one of the main factors that have led to the increase of investments in broadband infrastructure. So far, there have been installed about 170,000 Internet ports that have spread throughout Albania. The network coverage was extended to some of the main rural areas.
All these investments have enabled a significant improvement in quality, in particular ADSL service, which is our focus. ALBtelecom has increased Internet speed for minimal bundles from 256 Kbps in 2009 to 2 Mbps, and maximal internet speed at 100 Mbps for family and business subscribers.
This year, ALBtelecom will continue to focus on new services and improving quality. We provide internet services to more than 2000 schools across the country.
Already the most typical applications of the Internet, as social sites, e-mails, etc., require a data transfer (bandwidth) much higher than before and it is normal for audiovisual applications to require data transfer even higher than that.
The continuous offers have increased the customers’ awareness and therefore the internet demands and the number of internet subscribers have increased as well. ALBtelecom has maintained its position as a dominant player in the fixed telephony and internet services.
