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ALBtelecom sh.a. (a shortening of Albanian Telecom, Albanian: Telekomi Shqiptar) was an Albanian telecommunications company. It was established as Albania's state company that provided telecommunications services through a fixed network. On 5 December 1912 the Provisional Government led by Ismail Qemali established the Ministry of Post Telegraph Telephones, where ALBtelecom existed only as a government office.[1] It is the largest fixed line telephone company in the country, currently covering with Optical Fiber Backbone Network the entire territory of Albanian cities (Albania's population is 3.2 million).[2]
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Founded | 5 December 1912 |
| Defunct | 14 March 2023 |
| Fate | Merged with One Telecommunications |
| Successor | One Albania |
| Headquarters | Tirana, Albania |
Key people | Ervin Shpori, CEO |
| Products | Fixed Telephony Mobile Telephony Broadband Internet IT Services Networking Solutions IP television Cloud Services |
| Brands | ALBtv, ALBtelecom Mobile, ALBtelecom Wi-Fi |
| Owner | 4iG Nyrt. (Antenna Hungária) 80,27%, Albanian ministry of finance and economy 13,78% and Posta Shqiptare 2,47% |
| Website | www |
It was privatized on 1 October 2007 (following a privatization process which started in 2000), with 76% of its shares sold by the Albanian government to a consortium of two Turkish companies, Çalık Holding and Türk Telekom, with Calik taking 80% of the consortium's stake.[1]
In May 1996 ALBtelecom created Albanian Mobile Communications (Now One Albania) in March 2008 created another mobile telephony company called Eagle Mobile,[3] which gained a 13% market share within a year.[4]
In December 2021 4iG Plc acquired a 80,27% stake in Albtelecom from Calik Holding in an undisclosed deal. The transaction is expected to be finalized due to regulatory approval in January 2022.[5] After the approval for the sale of ALBtelecom to 4iG Plc then the ownership was transferred to Antenna Hungária.[6][7]
Eagle Mobile
editThe merging process of ALBtelecom and Eagle Mobile began in March 2011. Although being part of the same package, the companies functioned as two different entities. In February 2013, the company ALBtelecom took possession of the mobile company, Eagle Mobile, which turned into a brand within ALBtelecom. The Electronic and Postal Communications Authority (EPCA - AKEP) has given ALBtelecom the license of transfer that allows the company to offer products and services of fixed telephony, and broadband internet, as well as mobile telephony and mobile broadband internet under the Eagle Mobile trademark.
Eagle Mobile entered the Albanian telecommunication market on 12 March 2008. Now the company covers 98.5% of the country's population and 92.5% of the national territory. The third operator helped in the market liberalization. Prices underwent a sharp decline of over 40% with its arrival.[8]
In February 2013 ALBtelecom & Eagle Mobile were finally merged in one single company and on 3 April were officially presented under the brand of ALBtelecom.
During 2017 Eagle Mobile was replaced with ALBtelecom Mobile brand name.
References
edit- ^ a b Albtelecom, [1] Archived 2016-08-23 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 31 March 2009
- ^ Albtelecom, "Albtelecom, the strongest tie with Albanians"[permanent dead link], accessed 31 March 2009
- ^ Eagle Mobile, Eagle Mobile, accessed 31 March 2009
- ^ Eagle Mobile, 16 March 2009, "More surprises and innovations in Albania!", accessed 31 March 2009
- ^ Pai, Shailaja (2021-12-10). "Hungary's 4iG acquires Albania's Albtelecom". Developing Telecoms. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
- ^ Pham, Manny (2022-04-13). "4iG bolsters position to take on Hungary market rival". Developing Telecoms. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ "4iG has unified its telecommunications portfolio with Antenna Hungaria". www.4ig.hu. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ Monitor Magazine, "Telekomunikacion: Telefonia: Eagle Mobile, thirrjet me te gjata", accessed May 11, 2009