Cosmote group CEO: First 3G offers out in first half of 2010

The first Cosmote offers to include 3G services, which will enable the operator to sell products as Internet services and mobile e-mail or video calls will be launched in the first half of next year, once the operator has completed Zapp's integration, says Michael Tsamaz, the chief executive officer of Greek group Cosmote. Cosmote will this way be able to compete on equal footing with local market leaders Orange and Vodafone, which launched 3G services in 2006 and 2005, respectively.

"I would expect that in six months from now, we would offer the same products competitors offer in the Romanian market. I cannot tell you now when it is going to be (February or April), but we are working very hard on this," Tsamaz said.

The integration of mobile Internet in Cosmote's offers will not lead to aggressive offers likely to create price wars with the other players, Tsamaz says. "In the end, the price war is not in the benefit of the industry or the consumer."

The Greek group has invested 678 million euros in its Romanian branch over the last four years, Tsamaz says. However, even though the company has become number three on the market with almost 7 million customers, unless it had started to provide mobile Internet services, revenues would not have gone anywhere but down on long-term. "That is why some time ago we decided that we had to solve this problem and that is why we went ahead with acquiring Zapp," Cosmote CEO says explaining this year's deal with Telemobil worth 207 million euros. "The aim is that the integration will be finalised in the first eight months of the year (2010 i.e.), and probably after the first six months we will operate under one brand and as one company. "