"Moldova Telecommunications Report 2011" is now available at Fast Market Research

April 25, 2011 - PRLog -- BMI's 2011 report on Moldova's telecommunications market contains updated and extended forecasts that predict how the country's fixed-line, internet, broadband and mobile sectors will develop through to the end of 2015. Our new forecasts reflect 2010 data published by Moldova's telecoms sector regulator, the Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology (ANRCETI). The regulator publishes detailed telecoms market data on a quarterly basis. Our forecasts and market analyses also incorporate data published by fixed-line incumbent operator Moldtelecom and by the country's two leading mobile network operators, specifically Orange Moldova, which is owned by France Telecom and Moldcell, in which both Turkey's Turkcell and Nordic operator TeliaSonera have controlling stakes.

Notable developments in the Moldovan telecoms market in recent months include the launch of third generation (3G) services by the country's smallest mobile operator Unite. The firm is owned by Moldtelecom and served about 4.7% of Moldova's mobile telephony customers at the end of 2010, providing services over its CDMA network. In May 2010 the operator announced the commercial launch of its W-CDMA/HSDPA services under the brand Unite 3G. Moldtelecom's new 3G offering provides services such as mobile broadband at download speeds of up to 14.4Mbps, along with videocalling and high quality voice services. At launch, the 3G network covered 68% of the population, including all the country's major cities and regional centres, and many rural regions. The company also plans to increase maximum downlink speeds to 21Mbps and offer TV services.

Based on the available data, BMI estimates Moldova had about 500,000 mobile customers with 3Genabled devices at the end of 2010. This figure, which includes 3G customers served by all three operators, was equivalent to approximately 18% of the total mobile customer base. At the end of 2010 the country had 2.76mn mobile customers, equivalent to a penetration rate of 77.6%. Despite solid growth, Moldova's mobile penetration rate remains the lowest in the region.

Our broadband subscriber forecast for Moldova has also undergone significant changes to reflect the stronger-than-expected broadband subscriber growth in 2009 and 2010. By the end of 2010 we forecast Moldova had almost 387,000 broadband connections, equivalent to a penetration rate of 10.9%. Although Moldova has about 50 internet service providers (ISPs), the two service providers Moldtelecom and StarNet account for almost 88% of the fixed broadband market. The fixed broadband sector has benefited from the growth of xDSL and optical-fibre (FTTx) connections. It is mainly alternative operator StarNet which has been driving growth in the FTTx segment. However, incumbent operator Moldtelecom also offers services based on optical fibre. Meanwhile, Moldtelecom appears to be primarily responsible for the growth of the xDSL segment. The advancement of IPTV services by Moldtelecom and StarNet will further increase subscriptions based on optical fibre. Moldtelecom launched IPTV in February 2010 while StarNet was understood to be close to commercially launching its IPTV package at the time of writing.

BMI's broadband subscriber forecasts also include mobile broadband subscriptions. The latter category comprises subscribers who use portable USB devices to access the internet using one of the country's 3G mobile networks. By the end of 2010 the number of mobile broadband connections had risen to 119,600, up by almost 50% y-o-y. According to the regulator, Orange Moldova accounted for 60% of mobile broadband connections while Moldcell accounted for 34% of the market.

Finally, the latest data from Moldova's regulator suggests the fixed-line telephony sector continued to grow. In 2010 the number of fixed telephone lines increased by 2% to reach 1.16mn at the end of the year. This was equivalent to a penetration rate of 32.6%. Despite earlier indications that the Moldovan authorities were preparing to privatise the state-owned operator Moldtelecom, there has been no further word on the operator's sale.

Moldova remains at the bottom of our regional rankings, with scores below average in all categories surveyed by BMI. Since our last report on Moldova, the country's Industry Rewards and Industry Risks scores both fell slightly.

For more information or to purchase this report, go to:
-  http://www.fastmr.com/prod/149650_moldova_telecommunicati...

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Fast Market Research is an online aggregator and distributor of market research and business information. We represent the world's top research publishers and analysts and provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available.