This goal is supported by an ambitious programme, called Think One, with ten strategic initiatives meant to transform the company's operational model and change the market rules, Nikolai Beckers told SeeNews in a recent interview.
As of mid-September OTE, in which Deutsche Telekom owns a controlling 40% stake, rebranded its Romanian fixed-line operator RomTelecom and mobile unit Cosmote to Telekom Romania.
The company invested around 15 million euro ($18 million) in the rebranding process, which covered the makeover of 43 corporate stores in line with Deutsche Telekom's standards, the setup of one call centre, one website, the launch of innovative products such as the fix-mobile convergent offer and Telekom TV, with a new IP TV solution with multiscreen experience, Beckers said. In addition, the investment covered the entire marketing and communication campaign meant to launch and raise awareness of the new brand.
"In 2014, we went through a deep transformation which, at the end of more than one year of hard work, led us to an operationally integrated organisation, with a single goal, a single drive, a solid business plan and strategy, joint management and teams and consolidated portfolio of products and services," Beckers, who came to the helm of Telekom Romania in April, commented.
However, the unpredictable tax and regulatory environment in Romania has forced the company to revise its business plans for 2014, the official noted.
"The telecommunications industry needs billions in investments to build and expand the networks in order to meet the data traffic requirements of the future. Therefore, the supra-taxation of the telecommunication industry is highly contra productive," he said.
Among the company's strategic goals for next next year are to achieve excellency in customer care, maintain leadership on the business segment and become ICT leader, as well as continue to capitalise the fix-mobile convergence.
The segments in which it expects to see growth - both in 2014 and 2015 - are high speed internet, the B2B segment, with a focus on ICT turnkey solutions, and TV. "These will remain key growth areas for Telekom Romania in 2015, as part of the best integrated proposition on the market," he noted.
Telekom Romania will focus on expanding the FTTH technology, for the fixed segment, and the 3G and 4G network, respectively, for the mobile one. In addition, through the All IP project, it will aim to transfer all fixed data customers to the IP services platform, until 2018.
"As I said, expanding our 4G network is a key priority for us. At the moment, Telekom Romania offers 4G coverage for 50% of the urban population and 27% of the total population, urban and rural," Beckers added.
In the capital Bucharest, the company's 4G coverage is 98% of the area, while in Brasov and Poiana Brasov, two of the country's main tourist destinations, it is 98% and 100%, respectively.
In the first nine months of 2014 the pro forma earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of fixed-line carrier Telekom Romania Communications, former RomTelecom, rose by 7.5% on the year to 118.4 million euro. Telekom Romania Mobile Communications, former Cosmote Romania, recorded a pro forma EBITDA of 78.1 million euro through September, down 10.6% on the year.
Telekom Romania's main competitors on the market of 20.1 million are the local units of Britain's Vodafone and France's Orange.
