PRESS RELEASE

4iG has become the largest player in the Albanian telecommunications market

The successful acquisitions of ONE Telecommunications and ALBtelecom have created a market-leading group in fixed and mobile telecommunications services in Albania

Following the approval of the Albanian Competition Authority, 4iG Plc has acquired a 99.899% indirect stake in One Telecommunications (ONE). The Albanian mobile operator, with a history of 25 years, has an outstanding infrastructure in the region, with 632 transmission towers, which, in addition to 4G/LTE services, are now also capable of 5G mobile communications thanks to the developments of recent years. With the successful acquisition of ONE, 4iG, listed on the Budapest Stock Exchange, has become one of the largest foreign investors in the Western Balkans country. Together with ALBtelecom, in which 4iG has a stake, a market leader has been created in both fixed and mobile telecommunications services in the Albanian telecommunications market.

With 1.36 million subscribers, ONE Telecommunications is Albania’s second and fastest growing mobile operator. On June 2019, the company agreed on a five-year partnership with Ericsson to upgrade its mobile network and services, improving network quality with state-of-the-art Swedish systems and equipment, and the preparation for the introduction of 5G. The network upgrade, which has already been completed, has been confirmed at the beginning of 2021, by Umlaut’s independent “Best in Test” survey: in Albania, One Telecommunications’ mobile network offered the best quality and the fastest download speeds. Thanks to, among other things, the high quality of its services, the company has significantly increased its share of the mobile market in recent years. In the last two years, One Telecommunications has invested a total of EUR 92 million in the Albanian telecoms market, making it the largest telecoms industrial development in the country.

“We are proud that 4iG Group has become a leader in the Albanian telecommunications market thanks to the successful acquisitions of ONE Telecommunications and ALBtelecom, and one of the largest foreign investors in the country. We want to be present in the country for the long term, with the aim of contributing to the digital development and transformation of the country. Accordingly, we want to enter the market in the Western Balkans country with our IT solutions in addition to our telecom services”, stressed Mr. Gellért Jászai, CEO of 4iG Plc, on today’s announcement.

„In the last 3 years we have changed Albanian telecommunication market by introducing new services, drastically improving the quality and coverage of ONE mobile network and more importantly – changes the expectations of our customers by introducing affordable unlimited voice and data tariff plans. We would like to thank all our employees for their support and hard work and all our customers for their trust. We are confident that in 4iG hands ONE can continue to deliver best in class, high quality, value for money services.” – said Mr. Elvin Guri, the former majority shareholder of One Telecommunications.

One Telecommunications has 137 flagship customer sites and 632 dedicated towers, which are 4G/LTE and 5G capable, giving the operator a population coverage of 98.5 percent. The company employs 420 people. One Telecommunications’ mobile market share exceeded 41 percent in 2021, and the company’s EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) increased to EUR 27 million by 28.5 percent in 2021 compared to 2020.

4iG announced the acquisition of ALBtelecom, a prominent 4P operator in the Albanian telecoms market and a market leader in fixed voice, internet, and TV services, two weeks ago. The two Albanian subsidiaries of the 4iG Group have complementary portfolios, and the completion of the One Telecommunications acquisition will allow for strategic cooperation and strong synergies.

The parties have not disclosed the value of the transaction.

Budapest, 21st March 2022

Backgorund information:

4iG Plc, based in Budapest, is one of the leading IT and telecommunications companies in Hungary and a dominant player in Hungary's knowledge-based, digital economy. For more than 27 years, 4iG has been in the market of industry and industry-independent innovative technologies. The company continuously expanding its services and portfolio to meet the changes and needs of the ICT market. The group employs over 6,900 people. 4iG is a broad-spectrum solutions provider with significant interests in IT, satellite telecommunications, telecommunications and telco infrastructure development. The company, listed on Budapest Stock Exchange, aims to build a dominant market position in a wide range of info-communications services in Hungary and the Central and Eastern European and South-Eastern European regions. www.4ig.hu/home

More information:

Péter Elkán
communications and marketing director
peter.elkan (@) 4ig.hu
www.4ig.hu