The company’s shareholders have planned to invest 100 million euros during the first two years
By ervin lisaku
TIRANA, May 28 – The fourth mobile operator PLUS (Mobile 4 AL Sha), a consortium led by Kosovo Post-Telecom company (PTK), has announced it is preparing to enter the Albanian telecommunications market next July. Speaking in a press conference last week, the company representatives presented achievements and further short-term steps to offer services in Albania.
The executive director of PLUS, Moni Buchnik, said the company had signed the necessary commercial agreements with market providers.
“We are very satisfied with the technology and our providers. Now that the contracts have been signed, we are convinced that we have the best and latest technology which will enable us speed, flexibility, innovation, competitive advantage and a consolidated network to handle the technological challenges that lie ahead,” said Buchnik.
PLUS has contracted several companies to establish its networks and offer services such as Nokia Siemens as RAN and Core Network provider, NEC as Backbone and microwave link provider and Converse as BSS/VAS provider.
PLUS says it will launch its operations in several phases starting with the Tirane-Durres-Rinas airport area and later extending in main cities, the company said in a statement.
The company’s shareholders have planned to invest 100 million euros during the first two years. PLUS has currently finished the contracting process for 100 base stations and is currently building 50 other stations.
Petraq Shomo, the chairman of the PLUS board of directors, said that PLUS was convinced in its success as the only Albanian business in the field of mobile telephony. The company will focus in establishing a qualitative network and offer competitive tariffs, added Shomo.
PLUS/Mobile 4 Al was founded in June 2009 and awarded the fourth GSM licence in an international tender in January 2009 for 7.2 million euros.
The fourth operator will compete with Albanian Mobile Communication (AMC), Vodafone Albania and Eagle Mobile. The three companies are estimated to cover around three million customers in a country with a population of 3.3 million.
According to the head of the Electronic and Postal Communications Authority Pirro Xhixho, the launch of the fourth mobile operator will increase competition offering cheaper prices and bring new advanced technology services.
The mobile number portability is another novelty expected to be made possible in Albania this year, enabling mobile phone users to retain their mobile phone numbers when switching from one mobile network operator to another. The telecommunications market will also offer the 3G technology within this year.
According to the Telecommunications Authority, the mobile phone market, which accounts for 5.7 percent of GDP, continued its growth even in 2009.
The Telecommunications Authority said in its latest report that the number of mobile users in Albania has doubled during the past two years after the launch of the third mobile operator, Eagle Mobile. The air time has also doubled.
The Authority says Albanian consumers saved 30 million euros from the reduction of mobile phone tariffs in 2009.
