TIRANA, Oct. 8 – The mobile telephony and internet markets continued growing even in the first half of this year while the fixed line telephony suffered a slight shrink, according a report by Albania’s Electronic and Postal Communications Authority (AKEP). The number of mobile phone subscribers in June 2012 grew to 5.3 million, up from 5.2 million at the end of 2011, for a resident population 2.8 million people, revealing that almost every resident Albanian possesses at least two SIM cards
The mobile penetration rate also rose to 187 percent. Referring to the number of subscribers who talked on mobile phones for the past three months, AKEP reports some 3.2 million active users.
The number of fixed-line mobile subscribers dropped to 325,000 down from 339,000 at the end of 2011. Albtelocom has the majority 244,000 subscribers compared to 81,000 for alternative operators which have considerably increased their market share in the past few years. The fixed-line telephony penetration rate dropped to 11.5 percent at the end of June 2012, down from 12 percent in Dec. 2011, standing far below the EU average of 45 percent.
Broadband internet access offered by Albtelecom, alternative operators and 3G through AMC and Vodafone reached 175,000 people or 25 percent of Albanian households. The Authority also reports some 14,000 business subscribers having broadband internet.
Monthly airtime per subscriber rose to 194 minutes while the number of SMSs to 19.
Sixteen months after the mobile number portability service was made available, some 100,000 subscribers have ported their numbers, the Electronic and Postal Communications Authority says.
Mobile operators’ revenues
Mobile operators saw their revenues drop for the third year in a row in 2011, reflecting the crisis impacts and increased competition which has considerably lowered tariffs. A recent report published by the Electronic and Postal Communication Authority (AKEP) shows total revenues for all four mobile operators in 2011 shrank by 6 percent to 39.2 billion lek (Euro 275 million). The market started slightly shrinking in terms of revenue in 2009 after the successful launch of the third operator, Turkish-owned Eagle Mobile in March 2008, which made competition tougher. In 2010, mobile companies’ revenues dropped by 11 percent year-on-year.
AKEP data show Vodafone Albania, which was the first operator to launch the 3G service in November 2010, increased its revenue market share to 52 percent although having a 35 percent share in terms of subscribers.
Data show Turkish owned Eagle Mobile, which has been operating in Albania for four years, maintained its 12 percent market share for revenues for 2011 and had its subscribers increase by 3 percent to 21 percent.
Plus Communication, the only wholly Albanian-owned mobile operator which launched its services in late in 2010, gained a 2 percent market share and 8 percent of total subscribers.
Data for the two leading companies, Vodafone and AMC, which have 86 percent of total revenues and 72 percent of subscribers, show their profit rates have considerably shrunk during the past two years.
