National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology of the Republic of Moldova

Statistical data on the evolution of the mobile voice market in the first quarter of 2021, aggregated by the National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology (ANRCETI) show that during the reporting period, the volume of voice traffic in mobile networks increased, compared to the same period of 2020, by 6.4%, exceeding 1.6 billion minutes. Thus, the traffic in own networks increased by 2.4% and accounted for about 1.2 billion minutes, traffic to fixed networks increased by 15.3% and reached over 74 million minutes, and traffic to other mobile networks increased by 22.8% and totaled about 377 million minutes.

As a result of this evolution, the average monthly traffic per user (MoU) increased, compared to the same period last year, by 10.6% and reached 308 minutes (five hours and 8 minutes). In the first quarter of this year, a custimer of Orange Moldova consumed a monthly average of 344 minutes, a customer of Moldtelecom - 316 minutes and a customer of Moldcell - 241 minutes.

At the same time, during this period, there was an increase in the total number of users (by 0.8%), totaling about 4 million, 143 thousand. Moldcell reported increase in the number of mobile voice users by over 37 thousand, totaling about 1.4 million, and Moldtelecom-Unite - by about 36 thousand, totaling 496 thousand. At the same time, Orange Moldova reported a decrease in the subscriber base by over 38 thousand, to over 2.2 million.

Out of the total number of subscribers - 3.4 million are active users of mobile voice services, and about 703 thousand - passive users. As a result of this evolution, the penetration rate of mobile voice services per 100 inhabitants, for three months, increased by 0.8 pp. and was estimated at 130.3%.

The same statistics show that the volume of revenues on this market segment decreased by 7% and reached 693.3 billion lei, and the average monthly revenue per active mobile voice user (ARPU) decreased compared to the same quarter of year 2020, by 3.3% and reached 67.4 lei. Orange Moldova reported ARPU of 73.3 lei, Moldtelecom-Unite - 60.2 lei and Moldcell - of 58.4 lei.

At the end of the first quarter of 2021, the market shares of the three mobile voice providers, by turnover, were as follows: Orange Moldova - 64.2%, Moldcell - 28.4% and Moldtelecom – 7.4%.

June 8, 2021