In a world where the pace of life is becoming ever faster, we need something to give us back our time. We are asking for better education, improved incomes, modern healthcare, and other benefits of modern life. More and better information and communication technology can give us all this. Information and communication technology furthers the development of a society, and ALBtelecom takes very seriously its role in improving quality of life for its customers.
The market environment in which ALBtelecom is active is very demanding but at the same time full of opportunities. ALBtelecom has set out a growth strategy that will ensure the realisation of these opportunities. ALBtelecom has achieved remarkable results since its privatisation and has received a number of awards for its performance, including being named Albania’s best Internet services provider in 2011 by Intracom Albania. ALBtelecom has become a top choice among individual and corporate customers thanks to its high quality services, attractive prices and world class customer support.
Calik Holding, one of the largest business groups in Turkey, owns majority shares in ALBtelecom. As a result of this strong backing, ALBtelecom and its fully owned GSM operator, Eagle Mobile, have been able to invest around €150 million over the past four years in upgrading their infrastructure, technologies, services, and brand recognition. Eagle Mobile is now ranked the third biggest GSM operator in Albania, and ALBtelecom has positioned Eagle Mobile as a true leader in providing world class mobile services. Growing rapidly since its launch in 2008, Eagle Mobile has proven to be Albania’s most innovative and preferred mobile operator, known for implementing technology and services that had never been seen before in the local market.
Stellar accomplishments
The CEO of ALBtelecom and Eagle Mobile, Dr. Orhan Coskun, comments on what the companies have accomplished so far. He says, “After privatisation, from day one, we set ambitious targets: to be the first choice in every house, every office, and every pocket in Albania. We began with understanding our customers, their needs and demands. The customer has always been at the centre of both ALBtelecom and Eagle Mobile. In order to respond to our customers’ needs and demands, we have invested heavily in infrastructure.”
Dr. Orhan Coskun explains that ALBtelecom has increased the length of its fibre backbone from 500 km to 1,500 km and used ring topology to ensure a protected network. In addition, ALBtelecom has established fibre optic connections with all neighbouring countries and boosted the IP capacity of the Bari-Durres undersea fibre optic cable. He says, “The IP capacity of ALBtelecom before privatisation was only 300 Mbps, but now it has reached 30 Gbps.”
Reducing the digital divide
ALBtelecom has also improved its access network and added 200,000 new lines to reach a total 500,000 lines. It has also increased its xDSL capacity to 150,000 from 1,500 in 2007. Dr. Orhan Coskun points out, “We have tremendously boosted Internet connection speeds so that we can offer up to 100Mbps with VDSL, and by the end of 2012, we plan to deploy 150,000 additional xDSL ports. We have established fixed broadband coverage in rural areas; 80% of rural Albanian households now have access to broadband connections via Albtelecom’s fixed wireless broadband network. This will help to decrease the digital divide in Albania and will have a very important positive impact on the development of the country’s rural areas.”
ALBtelecom will become one of Europe’s first fixed line operators to transform its network into an all IP one when its IP/MPLS network is completed by the end of 2012. ALBtelecom has also deployed several VAS platforms, including the Unified Messaging System, Online Collaboration, Convergent Virtual PBX and others, which will result in greater efficiency and lower costs for ALBtelecom’s business customers.
Eagle Mobile serving more than one million customers
Eagle Mobile is another success for ALBtelecom. Eagle Mobile offered 97% network coverage in Albania only six months after its launch and now has 3G ready mobile technology throughout the country, serving even the most remote areas. Eagle Mobile also offers innovative lifestyle services such as mobile TV, vehicle tracking, e-mail, a Mobile Apps portal and diverse “infotainment” services, all available for the fi rst time in the Albanian market. Eagle’s Super Riniring has a loyal youth following for prepaid services, and Eagle is also a top choice among business and government entities for its post-paid plans.
Eagle Mobile now serves over one million customers in Albania. “Since we started Eagle Mobile, we have demonstrated economical, ecological and social responsibility,’’ Dr Orhan Coskun emphasises. He adds, “As we have established a very powerful brand, when our customers choose our products, they are also identifying themselves with the values we stand for. Eagle Mobile takes its name from the symbol of Albania. The eagle is strong, wise, sees far away and always one step ahead, has the ability to feel and above all is free. For this reason we say ‘fly like an eagle’, which means ‘fly free as an eagle’. Thanks to our investments and advanced technologies, we can offer freedom to our customers so that they can access any content, be it voice, video or data, anytime, anywhere.”
Living up to motto, “The client is king”
For its corporate customers, which include the public sector and large, small and medium sized private enterprises, ALBtelecom offers a range of targeted services, such as fixed line telephony, ADSL Internet connections, Dedicated Internet Access, Intranet, ISDN, Optical Fibre leasing, LAN connections and more. Such clients as the Bank of Albania, Ministry of Finance, Albanian Postal Service, ANTA, National Commercial Bank (BKT), Raiffeisen Bank and Sigal know that ALBtelecom lives up to its motto, “The client is king”.
ALBtelecom is playing a key role in Albania’s development. “We work to give back our care, funds and energy to the Albanian people through our corporate social responsibility projects and sponsorships,” Dr. Orhan Coskun says.
He adds that ALBtelecom and Eagle have provided 20 orphaned young people with full scholarships covering their entire education in the best high schools and universities in Albania. ALBtelecom and Eagle have also supplied more than 5,000 books, 500 computers, Internet laboratories, modern classrooms and more to Albania’s schools. The Domenick Scaglione Albanian Children’s Foundation recently gave its “Excellence Award” to Albtelecom and Eagle for their support for children in need, particularly their support for a centre for autistic children. “We will continue to contribute, and the year 2012 will be the year of technology in our priorities concerning social responsibility,” Dr. Orhan Coskun promises.
ALBtelecom is playing a crucial role in enhancing Albania’s attractions for foreign investors. As Western and Central European nations continue to look for outsourcing and call centre services in the Balkan region, ALBtelecom instils confidence in Albania’s present and faith in the country’s future. Dr. Orhan Coskun explains, “We at ALBtelecom and Eagle Mobile are here to stay. Economic gains are one thing, but we would not be here if it were not for our strong commitment to Albania’s future and to the Albanian government’s efforts to support Albania’s growth.” With the firm backing of majority shareholder Calik Holding, dynamic ALBtelecom is only at the beginning of its long term success story.
