The Romanian telecom and broadband market is one of the most advanced in Europe, although SIM penetration of 141% (GSMA Intelligence, Q4 2015) among a population of 19.4mn is somewhat inflated by multi-SIMing. In recent years network investment has meant that 3G is available widely, while LTE has a growing footprint and is expected to be available countrywide in 2016. Market competition has also rendered services increasingly affordable for consumers. It is a positive picture for MNOs and consumers, but not necessarily tower companies, who have struggled historically to gain entry to the market. Drawing on insights gleaned from the Romania roundtable at the TowerXchange Meetup Europe 2016, let’s look at why tower companies have been locked out of the country, and whether there is any chance that they may get admitted in the near future.
Romanian MNOs retain control over infrastructure
