It is also the first 5G network in the country, and was launched in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca and Iasi, with other cities to follow from 2020.
Orange says the network will offer speeds of up to 1.2Gbps, with average download speeds of 600Mbps.
The operator also announced new services, including Number Share, which allows customers to use the same phone number on multiple devices without requiring a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection. Orange Romania is also the first company in the Orange portfolio to deploy eSIM technology.
Continuing investment
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 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.”
Orange Romania highlighted the importance of the work it is involved with in several European Horizon 2020 research and development projects to drive the development and standardisation of 5G technology. These include MATILDA, SliceNet, 5G-EVE and 5G-VICTORI.