In the first quarter of 2021 were counted full 218 thousand fixed telephony subscribers, a decrease of 2.5% compared to the fourth quarter of 2020 or 8.7% compared to a year ago.
The situation is completely opposite in the case of fixed internet lines. In the first quarter of 2021 there were 506 thousand fixed internet subscribers a massive increase of 13.8% compared to a year ago where the coronavirus pandemic has given its contribution to this internet adoption.
Of these, 292 thousand have access to integrated services, an increase of 9% compared to the same period in 2020.
ALBtelecom is the largest fixed telephony operator with 74.5% of the market with 162 thousand subscribers while the second closest operator is Tring with 29 thousand fixed lines and Vodafone with over 8 thousand fixed lines.
Broadband access continued the upward trend while still headed by ALBtelecom with 124 thousand fixed internet subscribers, dominance has started to decline.
Vodafone Albania bought at the end of 2019 the fixed operator ABCom at that time with 74 thousand subscribers while today it counts 101 thousand subscribers.
Tring is the third largest fixed line operator in the country with 59 thousand subscribers, followed by Abissnet with 41 thousand, Digicom with 23 thousand and Nisatel with 18 thousand.
ALBtelecom experienced a decrease of 6.3% compared to a year ago while Vodafone increased by 25.7%.
Out of 292 thousand subscribers with integrated services, 104 thousand have only internet and TV, 97 thousand have three services and 89 thousand have internet and fixed telephone. / PCWorld Albanian