Mobile operators ended 2023 with a profit

2024-06-24 07:16:57, Aktualitet CNA

Mobile operators ended 2023 with a profit

Illustrative photo, taken from Google

Mobile service operators improved their financial performance last year.

According to the information reported in the Electronic and Postal Communications Authority (AKEP), last year Vodafone Albania achieved a net profit in the amount of 549 million ALL, while it closed the year 2022 with a net loss of 30 million ALL.

A smaller profit was reported by the second operator One Albania, but it also significantly improved the result compared to the previous year. According to AKEP, One Albania closed the year 2023 with a net profit of 70 million ALL, while for 2022 it had reported a loss of 469 million ALL.

In total, the two mobile operators earned 619 million ALL last year, while 2022 ended with a net loss of 499 million ALL.

The two mobile network operators, Vodafone Albania and One Albania, last year reported revenues from electronic communications in the amount of ALL 25.43 billion, this figure is approximately the same as in 2022.

In the division of the market according to the turnover generated by the mobile segment, Vodafone Albania has deepened its dominance, with about 56% of the total market. In the first year after the merger between the two former operators ONE Telecommunications and ALBtelecom, the new operator, One Albania, has lost ground, dropping to 44% of the market by turnover, from the 48% that had been the joint share of the two operators before union, in 2022.

The decrease in the number of mobile operators, but also their unsatisfactory financial results, have led to the increase in the cost of communication packages since last year. Mobile operators have increased the prices of basic prepaid communication packages by 100-200 lek in the last two years, but in the meantime have reduced the included communication units in them, as a way to encourage users to move to more affordable packages. high.

The basic 30-day communication package for both mobile operators costs 600 ALL and is identical in content, with 50 minutes of national communication and 50 MB of internet included.

Source: Audited financial statements, AKEP

Meanwhile, the next 30-day package already has a price of 1,000 ALL. In One Albania, this package includes 400 national minutes, 400 SMS and 1 GB of internet. In Vodafone Albania, this package includes 300 national minutes, 300 SMS and 1 GB of internet.

Considering that the vast majority of users now own smartphones and are regular internet users through them, the units that the first two packages offer are not enough for an optimal monthly use.

According to the statistics of the Electronic and Postal Communications Authority (AKEP), the average internet consumption for each mobile phone user in Albania is approximately 8.5 GB per month. This requires the purchase of an additional internet package, which costs from 500 to 800 ALL per month, depending on the volume and packages offered by the two mobile operators.

The other solution is to switch to a higher priced universal monthly package. The next 30-day package already costs 1,500 ALL per month. In One Albania, this includes 4000 national minutes, 1000 national SMS and 10 GB of internet. In Vodafone Albania, the package includes 2000 national minutes, 2000 national SMS and 10 GB of internet.

Furthermore, operators also offer more expensive 30-day packages that cost up to 2100 ALL.

The monthly subscription packages with a contract are showing a similar trend. The cheapest monthly package for contract subscribers already costs 900 ALL (800 ALL for 24-month contracts) and for One Albania it includes 400 national minutes, 400 SMS and 1 GB of internet, while for Vodafone Albania it includes 300 minutes, 300 SMS and 1 GB internet. For a free communication, a subscriber with a contract must switch to the next package that in One Albania contains 5000 national minutes, 1000 national SMS, 10 Gb of internet and costs 1400 ALL per month for 12-month contracts or 1300 ALL per month for contracts 24 months.

In Vodafone Albania, the plan costs 1400 ALL per month and includes 2000 national minutes, 2000 national SMS and 10 GB of internet.

Meanwhile, both mobile operators, in the general conditions of the contract, have determined their right to index the price of the package every year with the average annual inflation, according to the figure published by the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) for the previous year./ Monitor .co.uk