Today, May 31, 2006, the President of the National Regulatory Authority for Communications, Mr. Dan Georgescu, estimated, during the conference entitled “Telecommunications – the challenge for the future”, the value of the market of electronic commnications to reach approximately 4 billion Euro in 2006. ANRC also considered the value of this market to amount to more than 3 billion Euro in 2005.

“The communications market increased by 22% during 2003 – 2004, whereas for 2004 – 2005 we estimate a 20-25% rise, which is a pace of development high above the overall economic growth”, Mr. Dan Georgescu declared.

Dan Georgescu also highlighted the most important developments of the electronic communications market, emphasizing the boom of the alternative fixed telephony. The market share of the alternative providers increased significantly, reaching 10% at the end of 2005, from only 1,2%, in 2004. A total number of 460,000 subscribers have chosen alternative providers of fixed telephone services (offered either through their own networks, or through third parties’ access networks).

“In the context of the overall market development, the market share of the alternative providers witnessed a spectacular growth, reaching 10% and exceeding the pace we know from other countries’ previous experience. In Great Britain, for example, 20 years since the market liberalisation, the market share of the alternative providers still hovers around 20%”, the ANRC President declared.

The mobile telephony market increased by approximately 50% every six months. These leaps forward will be enhanced by increasingly diversified offers (a service for which we foresee great success is digital television provided directly on the mobile telephone - DVBH).

Furthermore, during this event, Mr. Dan Georgescu stated that, “considering the quality of the competitive environment, we can assert there is infrastructure-based competition, which has always been the ideal object of the regulatory activity”. There are several levels of competition: service-based competition (e.g. carrier selection) and infrastructure-based competition, which is sounder, as it involves investment and is sustainable in the long run.