Equipment supplier Romkatel: Our biggest clients are Vodafone and Cosmote

The financial crisis, which prompted companies and consumers to cut telecom services costs, and led to a decline in operators' investments in equipment and services, say representatives of Romkatel, one of the leading telecom players, with 10 million euros in turnover in 2009.
"Last year's trend of orders was visibly influenced by the financial crisis. On the one hand, mobile communications operators analysed their own financial situations and decided to adjust investments based on the market trend. This decision also affected their suppliers, which amplified the impact of the investment cut," Costel Iordache, commercial manager of Romkatel, told ZF.
Last year the local telecom market fell to 4 billion euros, from 4.6 billion euros in 2008, with mobile communications being the most affected segment, which saw Romanians spend nearly half a billion euros less. The decline continued this year, according to data supplied by operators for the first six months of the year.
"The clients accounting for the biggest share of Romkatel's turnover in 2010 were Vodafone and Cosmote operators," added the Romkatel official.
According to Finance Ministry data, Romkatel posted a 0.6 million-euro profit in 2009 and a 10 million-euro turnover.