Orange launches commercial 5G network in Romania

Orange Romania is first within the Orange footprint to launch 5G commercial offer uniquely tied to latest technology innovations and premium services exclusive to Orange Romania

Orange Romania is today the first country within the Orange Group’s footprint to commercially launch 5G. The 5G network in Romania initially launches today in three of its main cities – Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca and Iasi – with other cities to follow throughout 2020 and beyond.

Technology innovation and premium bundles form core of Orange Romania’s 5G offer

In addition to offering customers internet download speeds of up to 1.2Gbps and average download speeds of 600Mbps, a complete package of premium services and devices has been designed to enhance the 5G experience for customers.

Orange customers will benefit from access to the highest 5G speed in Romania, along with unlimited internet, with over 9 GB for mobile roaming within the EU, unlimited voice calls and SMS nationally and in roaming. Additionally, customers will also have access to the Deezer music service and the Family HD Go mobile TV package, all for 25 euros per month1. In addition, exclusively in the Orange offer, customers can purchase the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G flagship smartphone available in monthly instalments of 47 euros.

Orange Romania is also pioneering a number of exclusive services only available to customers of Orange. These include the Number Share Service, which allows users to use the same phone number on multiple devices without requiring a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection, and the first HD Voice Plus solution in Romania, which offers greatly improved quality of voice calls. Orange customers will also benefit from eSIM and technology, currently only being deployed by Orange Romania.

Alongside the 5G service launch, Orange Romania will also introduce the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 LTE smartwatch to its catalogue. By using the Number Share service to connect the device, consumers will benefit from considerably more flexibility in choosing between their mobile or their watch as a communications device. With this service and the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 LTE watch, customers can access their contacts, initiate and receive calls, or use mobile data directly from the watch, totally independent of the smartphone. The smartwatch is available exclusively as part of the Orange offer, with a monthly tariff of 14 euros, available when purchased together with Samsung Galaxy S10 5G smartphone.

Romania: always an important testbed for Orange innovations and latest technologies

The new 5G commercial network is the result of the commitment Orange has towards providing customers with the most innovative solutions and services, and an intensive programme of tests, pilots and trials conducted in Romania with key partners to deliver the best network available.

Equally important is the involvement of Orange Romania in Europe’s Horizon 2020 research and development projects: MATILDA, SliceNet, 5G-EVE and 5G-VICTORI. Through this joint work with Orange Group research teams, Orange Romania has contributed significantly to the development and standardisation of 5G technology, being the only Romanian operator involved in standardising this technology at European level.

Ramon Fernandez, CEO Delegate of Orange in charge of Finance, Performance and Europe, commented: “I am delighted that Romania, one of the most dynamic telecoms markets in Europe, is the first country within our global footprint to have achieved this important milestone. Orange Romania is important for us, both in terms of investments and driving innovation, with more than 3.5 billion euros invested since we entered the market. Today’s 5G launch, alongside new innovations like eSIM and Number Sharing, will serve as key use cases for further development and underpins the Group’s ambitions to deliver an unmatched experience to our customers as we begin our migration towards the next generation of networks.”

“We are proud that with today’s 5G launch, Romania is once again at the forefront of innovation. The 5G network evolution, supported by the innovation DNA of the local team, will give competitive advantage, as already proved in the case of 3G and 4G. The quality of the network and the customer experience are the pillars of sustainable development and remain our priorities to the future so that we can bring the benefits of connectivity closer to what matters to our customers,” concluded Liudmila Climoc, Chief Executive Officer at Orange Romania.