Plus Communication

Plus Communication, legally identified as PLUS ALBANIA Communication SH.A. and commonly known as PLUS, was an Albanian telecommunications company that operated a mobile network in Albania. It emerged after the Electronic and Postal Communications Authority of Albania, known by its Albanian acronym AKEP, granted an individual authorization for mobile telephony to the bidder offering the highest value. The company was founded in June 2009 and began commercial operations on December 6, 2010. PLUS entered a market that already included established mobile operators such as Vodafone Albania and Telekom Albania, as well as Albtelecom. It became the country's fourth-largest mobile operator by subscriber numbers. Its principal business was mobile communication services, supported by the radio-frequency resources reserved for its network and by the regulatory authorization that allowed it to provide mobile telephony. Available market information illustrates the unusually high headline mobile-penetration figures reported in Albania. In 2012, PLUS was reported as having 5.3 million subscribers, equivalent to a 187% penetration rate. Of those, 3.2 million were classified as active users, corresponding to a 114% active-user penetration rate. The active-user measure counted subscribers who had communicated during the preceding three months, so the two figures represented different counting methods rather than two directly comparable customer populations. PLUS ultimately ceased operations and is therefore no longer an active telecommunications brand. Following its closure, the frequencies reserved for the company were divided between Vodafone and One, reshaping the allocation of mobile-spectrum resources in Albania. The available reference material does not specify the exact date of cessation, the company's ownership structure, its financial performance, or the identities of its executives. It also does not document a surviving consumer business under the PLUS name.

PLUS Communication was established in Albania in June 2009 after AKEP granted an individual authorization for mobile telephony to the bidder that offered the highest value. The authorization enabled the company to prepare a new mobile network and enter Albania's established telecommunications market. The company moved from authorization to commercial service on December 6, 2010. Its business centered on mobile telecommunications, including network-based mobile voice services and related connectivity. PLUS operated alongside Vodafone Albania, Telekom Albania, and Albtelecom, and was identified as Albania's fourth-largest mobile operator by subscriber numbers. Reported 2012 market figures showed the scale of Albania's mobile market and the complexity of subscriber measurement. PLUS was associated with 5.3 million subscribers, representing a reported 187% penetration rate. The same reporting identified 3.2 million active users, or 114% penetration, with an active user defined as a subscriber who had communicated within the previous three months. These penetration figures reflected subscriber counts relative to the population and could exceed 100% because individuals could hold multiple subscriptions. PLUS later ceased operations and became a defunct telecommunications brand. The available reference material does not establish the exact closure date or provide a detailed account of the commercial or regulatory process leading to the shutdown. After the company stopped operating, the radio frequencies reserved for its network were split between Vodafone and One. This reassignment transferred the relevant spectrum resources to continuing operators in the Albanian market. No reliable information in the supplied sources identifies PLUS's founder, executives, ownership, financial results, or a successor brand.

1. 2012Subscriber figures reported

   PLUS was reported to have 5.3 million subscribers, including 3.2 million active users under a three-month activity definition.

   Source
2. 2010Commercial operations begin

   The company began commercial mobile telecommunications operations in Albania on December 6, 2010.

   Source
3. 2009Company founded and mobile authorization granted

   PLUS Communication was founded in June 2009 after AKEP awarded an individual authorization for mobile telephony to the highest-value bidder.

   Source
4. Operations cease and spectrum is redistributed

   After PLUS ceased operations, its reserved frequencies were divided between Vodafone and One.

   Source

A national Albanian mobile-network operator competing as the country's fourth-largest mobile operator by subscriber count.

• PLUS mobile networkMobile telecommunications2010

  PLUS's core offering was a national mobile telecommunications network in Albania. The company was authorized to provide mobile telephony and began commercial service in December 2010. The available sources identify the network and mobile communication service as its principal business, but do not provide reliable detail on specific tariff plans, handset bundles, data packages, or enterprise products.

• 2009Entry into Albania's mobile telecommunications marketStrategy

  PLUS Communication received an individual authorization from AKEP after submitting the highest-value bid, creating the regulatory basis for a new mobile operator.

  What changed. The company was established and developed a mobile telecommunications operation for the Albanian market.

  Aftermath. Commercial service began in December 2010, and PLUS became Albania's fourth-largest mobile operator by subscriber numbers.

  Source
• Cessation of operations and frequency reassignmentOther

  PLUS Communication eventually stopped operating as a mobile network provider.

  What changed. The frequencies reserved for PLUS were split between Vodafone and One.

  Aftermath. The spectrum resources were transferred to continuing mobile operators in Albania, while PLUS became defunct.

  Source

• 2012PLUS Communication reported substantial subscriber and penetration figures

  Market information reported 5.3 million PLUS subscribers in Albania, including 3.2 million active users measured by communication during the previous three months.

  Other
  Source
• 2010PLUS Communication begins commercial mobile operations

  PLUS Communication started commercial operations in Albania on December 6, 2010, following the grant of an individual authorization for mobile telephony.

  Product launch
  Source
• PLUS Communication ceases operations and its frequencies are reassigned

  After PLUS Communication stopped operating, the frequencies reserved for its network were divided between Vodafone and One.

  Other
  Source

1. Plus Communication