Monaco Telecom

Updated on Jan 03, 2024

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Industry Telecommunications Website www.monaco-telecom.mc Founded 1997 Number of employees 226		Headquarters Monaco Owner Xavier Niel Revenue 149.9 million EUR (2015) Net income 52.1 million EUR (2015)

Type Société Anonyme Monégasque (SAM) Predecessor Office Monégasque des Téléphones Key people Etienne Franzi (Chairman of the Board) Martin Péronnet (CEO)

Nouveau logo monaco telecom

Monaco Telecom is the main telecommunications provider in the Principality of Monaco. The company was founded in 1997 following a decision by the government of Monaco to privatize the state-owned Office Monégasque des Téléphones.

Monaco telecom digital front desk

Operations in Monaco

Monaco Telecom offers Monegasque residents and companies the entire range of products and services expected of a major telecommunications company. Through a concession agreement with Principality, the company holds the monopoly for fixed-line telephone services, internet access and television services in Monaco. On the other hand, the mobile telephony market is entirely open to competition. Monaco Telecom owns and operates 5 sales outlets in Monaco.

International development

Monaco Telecom has pursued its international development by partnering with other industry players:

Afghanistan : Monaco Telecom holds a 36.37% stake in Roshan, Afghanistan's leading telecommunications provider, and is the technical lead for the deployment of the Roshan's mobile-telephone network in Afghanistan. Deployment of the network was completed in July 2003.

In Afghanistan, which is currently undergoing massive reconstruction, Monaco Telecom also offers a range of complementary telecommunications services, including ISP data networks, leased lines, call centres, and emergency numbers. Monaco Telecom also has an office in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.

OnAir : Since 2006, Monaco Telecom has been providing OnAir with infrastructure enabling in-flight connectivity—via GSM and IP networks—on several Airbus aircraft. In June 2006, OnAir extended its agreement with Monaco Telecom to include the development and management of its entire land-based network supporting GSM and GPRS calls originating from anywhere in the world.

The first in-flight tests, on a commercial flight, were conducted in December 2007. By the end of 2011, the OnAir system was available in about a hundred aircraft operated by about fifteen companies. In June 2010, Monaco Telecom and OnAir broadened their range of services to include a new offer OnMarine extending the maritime communications network.

Kosovo : In 1999, at the end of the war in the former Yougoslavia, Monaco Telecom bid for and won a United Nations contract to deploy and extend the PTK-Vala GSM network in Kosovo.

Today, the mobile network covers over 99% of the population, with more than 1.2 million subscribers. In 2012 the Kosovo mobile telephony contract was extended for a further 3 years.

Africa : In August 2012, Monaco Telecom sold its stake in its subsidiary, Afinis Communications - a Casablanca, Morocco-based telecommunications provider serving Africa's largest corporations - to SkyVision.

In September of the same year, the Planor/Kome CESSE/Monaco Telecom consortium was awarded Mali's third mobile telephone licence. Monaco Telecom is the technical partner in the consortium, which operates through the Malian company, Alpha Telecom Mali.

Research and Development

Monaco Telecom is a member of Eurecom, an engineering school and communication systems research centre based in Sophia Antipolis, France.

Shareholders

55% of Monaco Telecom is owned by Xavier Niel, 45% by Société Nationale de Financement -which is wholly owned by the Monegasque government.

Key dates

2015 : On 8 September Monaco Telecom launched the ultra high speed broadband service using DOSCIS 3.0. Speed reaches 1Gbit down and 200Mbit up. Actually only 16 downstream channels are active (800Mbit)

2014 : Acquisition of Monaco Telecom by Xavier Niel, (founder and majority shareholder of the French Internet service provider and Mobile operator Iliad trading under the Free brand)

2013 : Monaco Telecom and global carrier Level 3 signed a strategic agreement for international connectivity

2012 : the Planor/Kome CESSE/Monaco Telecom consortium was awarded Mali's third mobile telephone licence.

2011 : Monaco Telecom launches its 4G LTE pilot service.

2010 : OnAir and Monaco Telecom launch OnMarine, an extended maritime communications service.

2009 : Outdoor demonstration of mobile WiMax technology in Monaco.

2008 : Monaco Telecom sells 60% of its stake in its call centre, eCALL.

2007 : Monaco Telecom unifies its four core service offerings (landline and mobile telephony, internet and television) under the Monaco Telecom brand, and changes its corporate visual identity.

2006 : Monaco Telecom opens an office in Dubai.

2005 : OnAir selects Monaco Telecom for its land-based infrastructure (in-flight GSM telephony services).

2004 : U.K.-based Cable & Wireless International buys Vivendi Telecom International's stake in Monaco Telecom.

2003 : Signs mobile network management services agreement with Afghanistan-based Roshan.

1999 : Awarded mobile network management services contract in Kosovo.

1997 : Government of Monaco privatizes Office Monégasque des Téléphones and forms Monaco Telecom.

1996 : The Principality of Monaco assigned its own country calling code (377).

1994 : GSM network deployed in the Principality.

1890 : First public telephones in the Principality of Monaco.

Corporate responsibility

For several years Monaco Telecom has spearheaded initiatives to measure electromagnetic field intensities to reassure the public that its installations do not pose a health risk.

As of November 2010, electromagnetic wave emissions are regulated under Monegasque legislation, itself inspired by the most stringent regulations in the industry, i.e., an electric-field intensity threshold of 6 Volts/metre for radio antenna, television, walkie-talkie, and WiFi emissions, and 4 Volts/metre for mobile-telephone relay antennas.

Compliance with threshold values is monitored by the government-run DCE (Direction des Communications Electroniques) during annual measurement campaigns, or whenever new mobile radio frequency emitting equipment is brought into service.

References

Monaco Telecom Wikipedia

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