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The move is the latest in a series of acquisitions and mergers throughout Europe aimed at combining fixed and mobile operations
This week, Orange has announced that Orange Romania will merge with Orange Romania Communications (OROC), combining their mobile and fixed broadband businesses to become a fully converged telecoms operator.
Orange Romania first acquired a 54% stake in OROC (then Telekom Romania Communications) back in 2021 and moved quickly to unify contact channels and launch a joint commercial offering.
Since then, Orange has been looking to take full control of OROC and merge the two businesses, finally getting the green light for the merger from the Romanian government last year.
Following the merger, Orange Group will hold an 80% stake in the converged business, with the remaining 20% held by Romania’s Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitalization.
“The merger between Orange Romania S.A. and Orange Romania Communications S.A. is a major step for Orange and marks the fruition of the process with the Government of Romania,” said Mari-Noëlle Jégo-Laveissière, Executive Vice President, CEO of Orange Europe. “This merger enables Orange Romania to fully implement its strategy to deliver best-in class offers on mobile and fiber. I warmly thank the teams that have been working on this transaction and wish the new integrated teams all the best.”
The convergence of mobile and fixed broadband operations has been a key strategy for Orange for many years now. Back in 2021, when Orange announced its new strategic priorities for Europe, convergence was highlighted as a key target across the region, with Jégo-Laveissière calling it “the cornerstone of our strategy”.
Since then, the company has moved to expand its converged offerings in numerous markets; last year, for example, the company notably acquired fixed network operator Voo in Belgium last year, allowing Orange Belgium to begin offering combined fixed and mobile packages to customers.
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