Albania Telecoms Market Report

Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Publication Date: September 2024

Report Pages: 153

Analyst: Henry Lancaster

Contact BuddeComm

Purchase this Report

Summary
Table Of Contents

Albania sees market consolidation with 4iG acquisitions

Albania’s small telecom market has experienced some significant changes in recent years. Vodafone Albania in early 2021 acquired the ISP ABCom, and committed to invest €100 million to upgrade fixed-line infrastructure to support broadband services. In March 2022, 4iG completed the acquisition of One Telecommunications and a majority stake in ALBtelecom. This could lead to the two businesses being merged, meaning that the mobile market has lost one of the main players, leaving the merged entity with a strong dominance in the mobile sector.

Consistent with developments elsewhere in the region, fixed-line telephony use and penetration in Albania is declining steadily as subscribers migrate to mobile solutions. The mobile sector is well provided with LTE networks, while operators have invested in 5G, with Ericsson as one of the principal vendors. Some of these efforts have been made in conjunction with neighbouring Kosovo, with the intention of a seamless 5G corridor along the highway connecting the two countries.

The country has long sought accession to the European Union (EU) which has benefited its telecoms sector through closer scrutiny of its regulatory regime and through the injection of funding to help modernise infrastructure. Albania signed a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU, which came into force in mid-2009. As part of the EU pre-accession process, Albania has received financial aid to build public institutions and improve cross-border co-operation under the EU’s Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance funding mechanism. Albania has been recognised as a candidate country for accession to the EU since June 2014.

Key developments:

4iG acquires One Telecommunications and ALBtelecom;
Vodafone Albania to invest €100 million in fixed infrastructure following its acquisition of ABCom;
Albania and Kosovo work to develop a 5G corridor;
Report update includes the regulator's market data to March 2022, operator data to Q1 2022, updated Telecom Maturity Index charts and analyses, recent market developments.

Companies mentioned in this report:

Vodafone Albania, ALBtelecom (Eagle Mobile), Telekom Albania (AMC), Cosmote, Turk Telecom, Primo Communications, 4iG

Key statistics
Regional Europe Market Comparison

Market characteristics
Market Leaders
Market Challengers
Market Emergents
TMI versus GDP
Mobile and mobile broadband penetration
Fixed versus mobile broadband penetration

Country overview
Telecommunications market

Overview of Albania’s telecom market

Regulatory environment

Historical overview
Regulatory authority
Fixed-line developments

Telecom sector liberalisation
Privatisation
Interconnection
Number Portability (NP)
Universal Service Obligation (USO)
Access

Mobile network developments

GSM licences
3G licences
Licences – 2015
Licences – 2016
800MHz spectrum
700MHz spectrum
Mobile Termination Rates (MTRs)
Mobile Number Portability (MNP)
Roaming

Mobile market

Market analysis
Mobile statistics
Mobile infrastructure

5G
4G (LTE)
Mobile data
Mobile broadband

Major mobile operators

One Telecommunications
Vodafone Albania
ALBtelecom
Plus Communications
Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs)

Mobile content and applications

M-money

Fixed-line broadband market

Introduction and statistical overview
Broadband statistics
Fixed-line broadband technologies

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) networks
Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) networks
Fibre-to-the-Premises (FttP) networks
Other fixed broadband services

Digital economy

e-government

Fixed network operators

ALBtelecom
Albania Online/Albanian Fibre Backbone (AFB)/Primo

Telecommunications infrastructure

Overview of the national telecom network
Albanian National Broadband Network
International infrastructure

Appendix – Historic data
Glossary of abbreviations
Related reports

List of Tables

Table 1 – Top Level Country Statistics and Telco Authorities - Albania – 2022 (e)
Table 2 – Telecom market revenue by sector (ALL billion) – 2012 – 2021
Table 3 – Telecom market share of revenue by operator – 2012 – 2021
Table 4 – Fixed-line number portings – 2013 – 2019
Table 5 – Decline in MTRs (ALL/minute) – 2013 – 2019
Table 6 – Mobile number portings – 2012 – 2019
Table 7 – Change in the proportion of prepaid and contract mobile subscribers – 2013 – 2022
Table 8 – Mobile AMPU and ARPU – 2012 – 2021
Table 9 – Growth in the number of active mobile subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
Table 10 – Registered mobile SIM cards by operator (million) – 2012 – 2022
Table 11 – Active mobile SIM cards by operator (million) – 2012 – 2022
Table 12 – Mobile subscriber market share of active SIM cards by operator – 2012 – 2022
Table 13 – Mobile market revenue by operator (ALL million) – 2012 – 2021
Table 14 – Mobile market net profit by operator (ALL million) – 2012 – 2015; 2017 – 2021
Table 15 – Mobile market investment by operator (ALL million) – 2012 – 2021
Table 16 – Total mobile outgoing traffic – 2012 – 2022
Table 17 – Average use of mobile services, active users – 2012 – 2021
Table 18 – Mobile data traffic – 2013 – 2022
Table 19 – Total SMS messages sent – 2012 – 2022
Table 20 – Growth in the number of active mobile broadband subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
Table 21 – Active mobile internet subscribers by operator via 3G/LTE handsets – 2012 – 2022
Table 22 – Dedicated mobile internet subscribers by operator (USB/modem) – 2012 – 2022
Table 23 – One Albania’s mobile revenue, EBITDA (€ million) – 2013 – 2018
Table 24 – Growth in the number of One Albania’s active mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2022
Table 25 – Vodafone Albania subscribers – 2012 – 2022
Table 26 – Change in the number of Vodafone’s prepaid subscribers – 2012 – 2022
Table 27 – ALBtelecom active mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2022
Table 28 – Growth in the number of fixed-line broadband subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
Table 29 – Fixed-broadband subscribers by operator – 2012 – 2022
Table 30 – Fixed-broadband market share by operator – 2012 – 2022
Table 31 – Fixed broadband market share by platform – 2016 – 2021
Table 32 – DSL broadband subscribers – 2012 – 2021
Table 33 – Cable modem broadband subscribers – 2012 – 2021
Table 34 – FttP broadband subscribers – 2012 – 2021
Table 35 – Change in the number of ALBtelecom’s subscribers by type – 2012 – 2022
Table 36 – Decline in the number of fixed lines in service and teledensity – 2012 – 2027
Table 37 – Change in the number of fixed lines in service (ALBtelecom and altnets) – 2012 – 2022
Table 38 – Fixed lines in service by minor operator – 2012 – 2022
Table 39 – Fixed-line telephony market share by operator – 2012 – 2022
Table 40 – National internet leased capacity – 2014 – 2021
Table 41 – International internet bandwidth – 2012 – 2017
Table 42 – Historic - ALBtelecom financial data (ALL million) – 2015 – 2017
Table 43 – Historic - ALBtelecom mobile revenue – 2015 – 2016
Table 44 – Historic - International internet bandwidth – 2007 – 2011
Table 45 – Historic - Mobile number portings – 2011 – 2017
Table 46 – Historic - Plus Communications active mobile subscribers – 2010 – 2017
Table 47 – Historic - Fixed-line broadband subscribers and penetration rate – 2007 – 2011
Table 48 – Historic - Registered mobile SIM cards by operator – 2003 – 2011
Table 49 – Historic -Telekom Albania active mobile subscribers – 2006 – 2011
Table 50 – Historic - Vodafone prepaid subscribers – 2005 – 2011
Table 51 – Historic - Internet users, subscribers, and penetration rates – 2009 – 2016
Table 52 – Historic - Telecom market revenue by sector (ALL billion) – 2008 – 2011
Table 53 – Historic - Total SMS messages sent – 2009 – 2011
Table 54 – Historic - Vodafone Albania subscribers – 2008 – 2011
Table 55 – Historic - DSL broadband subscribers – 2008 – 2011
Table 56 – Historic - Cable modem broadband subscribers – 2008 – 2011

List of Charts

Chart 1 – Europe Telecoms Maturity Index – Market Leaders
Chart 2 – Europe Telecoms Maturity Index – Market Challengers
Chart 3 – Europe Telecoms Maturity Index – Market Emergents
Chart 4 – Europe - Telecoms Maturity Index vs GDP per capita
Chart 5 – Europe – Mobile subscriber penetration vs mobile broadband penetration
Chart 6 – Scandinavia/Baltics fixed and mobile broadband penetration
Chart 7 – Northern Europe fixed and mobile broadband penetration
Chart 8 – Eastern Europe fixed and mobile broadband penetration
Chart 9 – Southern Europe fixed and mobile broadband penetration
Chart 10 – Telecom market revenue by sector – 2012 – 2021
Chart 11 – Telecom market share of revenue by operator – 2012 – 2021
Chart 12 – Decline in MTRs – 2013 – 2019
Chart 13 – Change in the proportion of prepaid and contract mobile subscribers – 2013 – 2022
Chart 14 – Growth in the number of active mobile subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
Chart 15 – Registered mobile SIM cards by operator – 2012 – 2022
Chart 16 – Active mobile SIM cards by operator – 2012 – 2022
Chart 17 – Mobile subscriber market share of active SIM cards by operator – 2012 – 2022
Chart 18 – Mobile market revenue by operator – 2012 – 2021
Chart 19 – Mobile market net profit by operator – 2012 – 2015; 2017 – 2021
Chart 20 – Mobile market investment by operator – 2012 – 2021
Chart 21 – Total mobile outgoing traffic – 2012 – 2022
Chart 22 – Mobile data traffic – 2013 – 2022
Chart 23 – Total SMS messages sent – 2012 – 2022
Chart 24 – Growth in the number of active mobile broadband subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
Chart 25 – Active mobile internet subscribers by operator via 3G/LTE handsets – 2012 – 2022
Chart 26 – Dedicated mobile internet subscribers by operator (USB/modem) – 2012 – 2022
Chart 27 – One Albania’s mobile revenue, EBITDA – 2013 – 2018
Chart 28 – Growth in the number of One Albania’s active mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2022
Chart 29 – Vodafone Albania subscribers – 2012 – 2022
Chart 30 – Change in the number of Vodafone’s prepaid subscribers – 2012 – 2022
Chart 31 – ALBtelecom active mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2022
Chart 32 – Growth in the number of fixed-line broadband subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
Chart 33 – Fixed-broadband subscribers by operator – 2012 – 2022
Chart 34 – Fixed-broadband market share by operator – 2012 – 2022
Chart 35 – Fixed broadband market share by platform – 2016 – 2021
Chart 36 – DSL broadband subscribers – 2012 – 2021
Chart 37 – Cable modem broadband subscribers – 2012 – 2021
Chart 38 – FttP broadband subscribers – 2012 – 2021
Chart 39 – Change in the number of ALBtelecom’s subscribers by type – 2012 – 2022
Chart 40 – Decline in the number of fixed lines in service and teledensity – 2012 – 2027
Chart 41 – Change in the number of fixed lines in service (ALBtelecom and altnets) – 2012 – 2022
Chart 42 – Fixed lines in service by minor operator – 2012 – 2022
Chart 43 – Fixed-line telephony market share by operator – 2012 – 2022

List of Exhibits

Exhibit 1 – Map of Telecom Maturity Index global ranking among countries in Europe
Exhibit 2 – Generalised Market Characteristics by Market Segment
Exhibit 3 – Europe – Market Leaders and market developments
Exhibit 4 – Europe – Market Challengers and market developments
Exhibit 5 – Europe – Market Emergents and market developments

Related Reports

Purchase this Report

Contact BuddeComm

Share this Report

TMT Intelligence

A platform to scale your intelligence tasks

Monitor critical insights with our AI-powered Market Intelligence Platform gathering and analyzing intelligence in real time. With AI trained to spot emerging trends and detect new strategic opportunities, our clients use TMT Intelligence to accelerate their growth.

If you want to know more about it, please see:

TMT Intelligence Platform

Research Methodology

BuddeComm's strategic business reports contain a combination of both primary and secondary research statistics, analyses written by our senior analysts supported by a network of experts, industry contacts and researchers from around the world as well as our own scenario forecasts.

For more details, please see:

Research Methodology

More than 4,000 customers from 140 countries utilise BuddeComm Research

Are you interested in BuddeComm's Custom Research Service?

Hot Topics

News & Views

Have the latest telecommunications industry news delivered to your inbox by subscribing to BuddeComm's weekly newsletter.

Unsubscribe

Albania Telecoms Market Report

Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Purchase this Report

Albania sees market consolidation with 4iG acquisitions

Key developments:

Companies mentioned in this report:

Key statistics

Regional Europe Market Comparison

Country overview

Telecommunications market

Regulatory environment

Mobile market

Fixed-line broadband market

Fixed network operators

Telecommunications infrastructure

Appendix – Historic data

Glossary of abbreviations

Related reports

Purchase this Report

Share this Report

TMT Intelligence

A platform to scale your intelligence tasks

Research Methodology

Hot Topics

News & Views