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Mobile operator Orange Romania's Q1 turnover amounted to 264 million euros, up 2.5 percent compared to the same period of the previous year, the company said in a statement on Thursday.
The constantly high need for connectivity among Orange customers in the first quarter of this year was the driver for a 30 percent increase in mobile data consumption in Q1 2021 compared to Q1 2020. The operator expanded its 4G connectivity coverage in Q1 to 56,000 people in another 143 rural localities, as well as to another 447 urban and rural localities.
On the B2B segment, ITC services increased by over 20 percent in Q1 compared to the year-ago period, as demand for services from small and medium-sized companies developed significantly in certain ITC categories. With business customers becoming more aware of the risks arising from employee remote access to the companies' IT resources and infrastructures, there was increased focus on cyber security solutions which saw a fast growth from the first quarter of last year.
In January this year, Orange Money launched in Romania the credit card with exclusive benefits for payments to Orange, benefit packages at the customer's choice and instant cash back in the account upon payment for purchases. As a result of developments to the Orange Money service, the total customer base increased 40 percent in Q1 2021 from Q1 2020 to more than 274,000 customers as of March 31, 2021.
"We started a new year with lots of energy and motivation, the so much needed ingredients for the period we are currently going through. They proved to be key elements for us and helped us further keep in Q1 2021 the upward trend seen in the last part of 2020. Connectivity remained the same solid pillar with an extremely important role in the national economy, which was also visible in the growth of B2B services or in the consumption of mobile data. Against this backdrop, although we are still going through a period full of uncertainties, we remain dedicated to providing modern and innovative best quality services, tailored to the needs and desires of a wide range of customers," said Orange Romania CEO Liudmila Climoc.
As of March 31, 2021, Orange Romania had 10,640,000 customers for its mobile, fixed and TV services, up 1.8 percent YoY. The company's fixed broadband customer base was 418,000-strong, by 14 percent higher compared to the same period of 2020.
