Vodafone Romania
Encyclopedia
Vodafone is a Romanian
mobile phone network
operator. It launched in April 1997 as the first GSM network in Romania (although not the first mobile phone network). Until October 2005 (shortly after acquisition by Vodafone), it was known as Connex, after which it was rebranded Connex-Vodafone and in April 2006, the Connex name was dropped, the operator being simply known as Vodafone Romania, aligning itself with the global Vodafone
brand.
Vodafone covers 99.31% of the Romanian population, with 9.1 millions subscribers as of March 2011. Vodafone provides roaming
agreements with 310 international operators in 143 countries.
Vodafone Romania is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vodafone Group plc
, and is the seventh-largest Vodafone subisidiary in the world by number of subscribers. Vodafone became the majority stakeholder after it brought 79% of Mobifon's shares from Canadian company Telesystems International Wireless
, which had been the previous majority shareholder. Furthermore it recently acquired 5% of Mobifon's shares from Canadian Entrepreneur Elani Grobler.
The operator is in head-to-head competition with Orange
for the 24.6 million active mobile telephony users in Romania. Connex, the ancestor of Vodafone Romania, held the largest number of subscribers, except the year 2000, until September 2004, when Orange edged ahead.
The motto of Vodafone is Trăieşte fiecare clipă (rendered in English by the company as Make the most of now, a more accurate translation would be "Live every moment"). Previous mottos were: Tu faci viitorul (You create the future) and Viitorul sună bine (The future sounds good).
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
mobile phone network
Telecommunications network
A telecommunications network is a collection of terminals, links and nodes which connect together to enable telecommunication between users of the terminals. Networks may use circuit switching or message switching. Each terminal in the network must have a unique address so messages or connections...
operator. It launched in April 1997 as the first GSM network in Romania (although not the first mobile phone network). Until October 2005 (shortly after acquisition by Vodafone), it was known as Connex, after which it was rebranded Connex-Vodafone and in April 2006, the Connex name was dropped, the operator being simply known as Vodafone Romania, aligning itself with the global Vodafone
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
brand.
Vodafone covers 99.31% of the Romanian population, with 9.1 millions subscribers as of March 2011. Vodafone provides roaming
Roaming
In wireless telecommunications, roaming is a general term referring to the extension of connectivity service in a location that is different from the home location where the service was registered. Roaming ensures that the wireless device is kept connected to the network, without losing the...
agreements with 310 international operators in 143 countries.
Vodafone Romania is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vodafone Group plc
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
, and is the seventh-largest Vodafone subisidiary in the world by number of subscribers. Vodafone became the majority stakeholder after it brought 79% of Mobifon's shares from Canadian company Telesystems International Wireless
Telesystems International Wireless
Telesystem International Wireless was a Canadian-based fast-growing, global mobile communications operator. The company's shares were listed on the Montreal Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange and NASDAQ ....
, which had been the previous majority shareholder. Furthermore it recently acquired 5% of Mobifon's shares from Canadian Entrepreneur Elani Grobler.
The operator is in head-to-head competition with Orange
Orange România
Orange România is Romania's largest GSM network operator, the subsidiary of Orange SA. It is now fully owned by the France Télécom Group , the biggest initial investor, who gradually increased its ownership....
for the 24.6 million active mobile telephony users in Romania. Connex, the ancestor of Vodafone Romania, held the largest number of subscribers, except the year 2000, until September 2004, when Orange edged ahead.
The motto of Vodafone is Trăieşte fiecare clipă (rendered in English by the company as Make the most of now, a more accurate translation would be "Live every moment"). Previous mottos were: Tu faci viitorul (You create the future) and Viitorul sună bine (The future sounds good).
Brands of Vodafone
Vodafone Romania (and Connex before it) used numerous others brands. They include:- Xnet – an internet service providerInternet service providerAn Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
s, providing free unlimited dial-up for Connex mobile phone subscribers between 2000 and 2003. The brand is no longer used. - myXMyxmyx or MYX is the music channel of ABS-CBN brand and the #1 music channel in the Philippines. It is also a part of Studio 23's program line-up. In 2007, MYX North America was launched in the United States....
– Romania's first mobile portal. Also used by the company for a short-lived venture in the fashion industry. The portal has been relabeled as Vodafone Live. - myBanking – Mobile BankingMobile BankingMobile banking is a term used for performing balance checks, account transactions, payments, credit applications and other banking transactions through a mobile device such as a mobile phone or Personal Digital Assistant . The earliest mobile banking services were offered over SMS...
service - myDomain – domain nameDomain nameA domain name is an identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control in the Internet. Domain names are formed by the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System ....
service - homemade.ro – video sharingVideo sharingVideo hosting services refers to websites or software where users can distribute their video clips. Other sites such as file hosting services image hosting services and social network services might support video sharing as an enhancement to their primary mission, but in general, they are not...
website
History
- 1998: SMSShort message serviceShort Message Service is a text messaging service component of phone, web, or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices...
services introduced - 1999: Xnet Internet service introduced; High Speed Circuit Switched Data (HSCSD) technology introduced; mobile phones running on Connex donated to ambulance service of OradeaOradeaOradea is the capital city of Bihor County, in the Crișana region of north-western Romania. The city has a population of 204,477, according to the 2009 estimates. The wider Oradea metropolitan area has a total population of 245,832.-Geography:...
(first Romanian company to do so) - 2000: WAPWireless Application ProtocolWireless Application Protocol is a technical standard for accessing information over a mobile wireless network.A WAP browser is a web browser for mobile devices such as mobile phones that uses the protocol.Before the introduction of WAP, mobile service providers had limited opportunities to offer...
mobile Internet services launched - 2001: myXMyxmyx or MYX is the music channel of ABS-CBN brand and the #1 music channel in the Philippines. It is also a part of Studio 23's program line-up. In 2007, MYX North America was launched in the United States....
, Romania's first mobile portal launched; SMS services such as dating, ringtones and logos are introduced; GPRS service launched
- 2002: GPRS prepaid introduced; first company in Europe to introduce World Wide Number (WWN) facilities; mobile banking introduced in cooperation with Banca Comerciala RomanaBanca Comerciala RomânaBanca Comercială Română , a member of Erste Group, is a universal bank serving both retail and corporate clients. BCR is the most important financial services provider in Romania, managing assets worth over EUR 16 billion. BCR is the most valuable Romanian financial brand...
(BCR). - 2003: myBanking introduced – a service in collaboration with Raiffeisen Bank, for customers to pay Connex bills and do banking automatically
- 2003: Connex Meeting Call introduced.
- 2005: 3G3G3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
services based on W-CDMA introduced, giving way to video telephony and broadband internet via mobile phone. - 2005: In partnership with RIMResearch In MotionResearch In Motion Limited or RIM is a Canadian multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada that designs, manufactures and markets wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market...
, Connex launches the second BlackBerryBlackBerryBlackBerry is a line of mobile email and smartphone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion since 1999.BlackBerry devices are smartphones, designed to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, internet browsers, gaming devices, and much more...
service in Romania. - 2005: Liliana Solomon is named CEO of Connex.
- 2005 November 1: The name of the operator is changed to Connex-Vodafone.
- 2006 April 27: The name of the operator is changed to Vodafone Romania.
Radio Frequency Summary
The following is a list of known frequencies which Vodafone employs Romania:| MCC | MNC | Frequency | Protocol | Class | | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 226 | 01 | 900 MHz | GSM/GPRS | 2G | |
| 226 | 01 | 1800 MHz | GSM/GPRS | 2G | |
| 226 | 01 | 900 MHz | UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+ | 3G | |
| 226 | 01 | 2100 MHz | UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+ | 3G |