Data from AKEP for the third quarter of 2025 show that around 2.4 million people using mobile internet and 2.72 million using mobile phone services, both up from the previous quarter. Active SIM cards reached 3.4 million, reflecting market stabilisation and reduced multi-SIM use by single users.

Mobile data usage rose sharply, with 73 million gigabytes consumed in the quarter, boosting average monthly consumption per user to more than 10 gigabytes. The trend reflects growing use of online services, social networks, and internet-based communication platforms.

In contrast, traditional services are losing ground. Outgoing call minutes remain stable, but the number of SMS messages sent fell, indicating a shift toward digital messaging apps. Market structure remains largely unchanged, with around 60% of calls within the same network and 40% to other networks.

AKEP said users are increasingly choosing internet-only packages over bundled services with television or telephony.

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According to the decision, the call termination fee on fixed networks will be reduced from 0.7 lekë per minute to 0.3 lekë from 1 March 2026, to 0.15 lekë from 1 September 2026 and will reach the final level of 0.07 lekë per minute on 1 March 2027.

AKEP emphasized that the current tariffs are higher than the average of the 27 European Union countries and that the reduction aims to foster competition and create conditions for lower tariffs for end users.

The decision includes all active fixed telephony operators, which have been declared to have significant market power in the call termination market.

According to AKEP data, at the end of last year in Albania there were 165,380 fixed telephone subscribers, with an annual decrease of 4.5%. /a.f/p.s./

The meeting was held in context of the institutional cooperation and included representatives from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, the Electricity Distribution Operator, the Municipality of Tirana, the Albanian Road Authority and the Albanian Development Fund.

AKEP Chairman Gentian Sala emphasized the institution’s commitment to reflect the concerns raised by market actors in the processes of drafting regulatory acts and in facilitating inter-institutional cooperation to resolve infrastructure issues.

Sala focused on several issues for which AKEP will undertake several measures until the full formalization of the market.

“We will focus on illegal, unauthorized operators, to facilitate your work in the first place, but also to provide a quality service to citizens that is the ultimate of our common interest,” said Sala.

On her part, the representative of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy Irena Malolli thanked AKEP for organizing this meeting, appreciating the significance of such platforms for promoting inter-institutional cooperation, as well as the fact that addressing the problems encountered in the market helps the relevant institutions to take the necessary measures. /p.s./

Reporting at a special parliamentary committee on coordinating and overseeing institutional measures aimed at combating disinformation and other forms of foreign interference in the country’s democratic processes, the head of the electronic and postal communications watchdog underlined that a Memorandum of Understanding with the United States of America is in force on implementation of reliable and clean energies in entire network.

Frasheri noted that AKEP has integrated the agreement with the U.S. in its policies and the suit has been followed by the operators.

According to him, Albania’s position on this regard is non-negotiable.

Frashëri explained that one of the two mobile operators replaced 100% the existing technology with new western technology in a large investment project three years ago and was the first mobile operator to carry out this contemporary investment in the Western Balkans

He pointed out the fact that the reliable providers that offer Western technologies and standards according to NATO requirements are reaching out to Albania for the implementation of these technologies.

5G provides faster speeds, lower latency and greater capacity than its predecessors.

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According to the postal and electronic communication watchdog, the turnover of this market totalled around 9.6 billion lek.

Number of new subscribers also increased during this period.

“Number of subscribers with access to fixed broadband increased to over 508,000 subscribers at the end of 2020, registering an increase by 17% year-on-year,” AKEP said.

Meanwhile, the number of fixed line internet subscribers has doubled and about 60% of broadband subscribers receive triple service.

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