The Romanian Competition Council has conditionally cleared two major transactions in the country’s telecommunications sector: Vodafone Romania’s acquisition of Telekom Romania Mobile Communications S.A. and Digi Romania’s takeover of certain assets from the same company.
Under the deal, Vodafone Romania S.A. will assume control of Telekom Romania Mobile, while Digi Romania S.A. will acquire specific assets, including rights to use several radio frequencies, part of the company’s towers and related infrastructure, equipment, and its entire prepaid mobile service operations.
The Council said the transactions raise competition concerns due to the reduction of mobile operators in the Romanian market from four to three. To address these concerns, Vodafone and Digi have agreed to a series of binding commitments aimed at preserving competitive pricing and maintaining service quality.
“Romania has a strong position in the telecommunications market, offering affordable services with coverage and speeds superior to many other European countries,” said Bogdan Chirițoiu, President of the Competition Council. “In assessing these transactions, we focused on ensuring that consumers continue to benefit, despite the reduction in the number of market players. With ANCOM’s support, we reached commitments that safeguard both service quality and competitive pricing.”
Commitments to Protect Competition
Vodafone and Digi pledged to continue investing in network development, with particular emphasis on improving mobile coverage along major roads. They also committed to enhancing mobile data quality and raising performance standards in areas where service coverage or average transfer speeds remain insufficient.
In addition, both companies will provide access to mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) at competitive market rates. Orange Romania will retain access to co-location services on mobile telecommunications sites, ensuring continuity for its operations. Digi has also agreed to maintain all prepaid contracts of Telekom customers under existing terms and pricing and to continue offering prepaid mobile services to other consumers.
Valeriu Zgonea, President of the National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM), which collaborated with the Competition Council during the review, emphasized the regulator’s role in monitoring the commitments:
“This is the first major merger in Romania’s mobile communications sector. ANCOM actively supported the Competition Council in analyzing this transaction to ensure the best results for the market and end users. We are prepared to oversee the spectrum transfer, numbering resources, and compliance with the commitments by Vodafone and Digi. Our goal is to ensure continuity of service and preserve high-quality offerings at reasonable prices.”
Ongoing Oversight and Penalties
The commitments will be monitored for up to four years by independent trustees reporting regularly to the Competition Council. Non-compliance with any obligations, conditions, or measures imposed could result in fines of up to 10% of a company’s total turnover from the preceding financial year.
The Council stressed that its decision includes specific conditions designed to eliminate competitive concerns identified during the investigation. The full decision will be published on the authority’s website once confidential information has been redacted.
Chirițoiu noted that around two million Telekom subscription customers would not be negatively affected by the transactions and predicted improvements in network signal quality alongside robust competition, without unjustified price increases.
