One Albania

Origins as Albanian Mobile Communications, 1995–2000Deep dive

Albanian Mobile Communications (AMC) was established as a state-owned company in November 1995, on the instruction of Prime Minister Aleksandër Meksi. The project was led by manager Bashkim Kasa. Commercial operations began in May 1996, making AMC the first mobile operator in Albania.

At the time of privatisation in August 2000, AMC had 11,000 subscribers actively making outgoing calls. COSMOTE acquired 85% of AMC's capital share through its holding vehicle COSMO-HOLDING ALBANIA S.A., eventually raising its stake to 97% of the subsidiary. The company's entry into the COSMOTE Group in 2000 marked the end of its state-owned phase and the beginning of rapid commercial expansion.

Growth under COSMOTE and Deutsche Telekom, 2000–2019Deep dive

After the COSMOTE acquisition, AMC launched the prepaid product Albakarta in August 2000. By December 2001 the customer base had reached 273,000, and by 2009 it had grown to 1.9 million. The figure fell slightly to 1.8 million in 2011, the same year AMC entered the Albanian landline market, becoming the second company in Albania to offer landline services nationally.

AMC was the second mobile operator to provide 3G technology in Albania. In September 2011 the Albanian government awarded AMC a second 3G network licence for €15.1 million (approximately $20.6 million), outbidding Eagle Mobile, which had offered €12.9 million. 3G services launched in January 2012, and by June 2012 the 3G infrastructure covered approximately 95% of the country.

In March 2015 AMC gained a 4G service licence, with commercial operations beginning in mid-2015. The company was the second to offer 4G LTE in Tirana and southern Albania, and was reported to be among the first in Europe to launch LTE-A Cat4 technology, offering download speeds of up to 150 Mbit/s. In January 2019 OTE, then part of Deutsche Telekom, agreed to sell the company — at that point branded Telekom Albania — for €50 million to Albania Telecom Invest, an entity owned by Bulgarian Vivacom owner Spas Roussev and Albanian-born entrepreneur Elvin Guri.

Acquisition by 4iG and rebranding as One Albania, 2020–2023Deep dive

In September 2020 the company's registered name changed from Telekom Albania to One Telecommunications, beginning a transition to a new brand identity. On 10 March 2022 the Albanian Competition Authority approved the sale of One Telecommunications to the Hungarian company 4iG. On 21 March 2022 the company announced that 4iG had acquired 99.899% of indirect stakes in One Telecommunications.

The 4iG acquisition was the second takeover of an Albanian telecommunications company by the same buyer, following its earlier acquisition of Albtelecom, which 4iG described as complementary in the Albanian market. Following its acquisitions in Albania, Montenegro, and Hungary, 4iG agreed to transfer ownership of these companies to Antenna Hungária, raising Antenna Hungária's stake to 76%.

In January 2023 Albtelecom and One merged into a single company operating as One Albania, adopting the same brand used by the related entity One Montenegro. In March 2023 the formal registered name was changed from One Telecommunications to One Albania. The company's display name on networks is One.al, though some devices show it as Telekom.al or AMC, reflecting the succession of earlier brands.

Network coverage and spectrum holdingsDeep dive

As of the information available in the source, One Albania's network covers 99.6% of the population and 95% of the geographical area of Albania. In 2020 the company claimed that its 4G network covered 98.1% of the total population, which it described as the largest 4G coverage in Albania. In September 2019 One was awarded a 2×10 MHz frequency block in the 811–821 MHz / 852–862 MHz band by the Electronic and Postal Communications Authority for €7.44 million.

When the operator Plus, described as the fourth-largest mobile network provider, ceased operations in Albania, Telekom Albania (the predecessor brand) agreed to purchase 50% of Plus's former frequencies, alongside Vodafone Albania. On 25 November 2024, One was awarded 120 MHz in the 3420–3540 MHz frequency band and launched 5G services. As of May 2025, the company claims to operate the largest 5G network in Albania, with coverage stated in Tirana, Durrës, Elbasan, Vlorë, and Shkodër.

Revenue and financial performanceDeep dive

AMC's revenues exceeded €137 million in 2005. By 2007 revenues had reached €176.2 million, representing growth of 16.7% on a yearly basis. In the same year EBITDA grew by 20.1% on a margin of 62.0%, and net income increased by 22.1% year-on-year, with a net income margin of 34.6%.

During the third quarter of 2008, AMC's EBITDA margin stood at 67.4%. By 2011 revenues had fallen to €119.3 million, a significant decline from the 2007 peak, though the article does not attribute a specific cause to the reduction.

Regulatory interventions and consumer disputesDeep dive

In 2017, Albanian mobile operators, including AMC, changed the duration of their monthly packages from 30 days to 28 days. The matter was investigated by the Electronic and Postal Communications Authority, which ordered the operators to revert to 30-day package durations.

In 2019 the Albanian Competition Authority intervened after Vodafone Albania, Telekom Albania, and Albtelecom simultaneously increased their tariffs by ALL 200 and doubled the minimum recharge value from ALL 100 to ALL 200. The simultaneous increase across three major providers drew strong consumer complaints, and the matter was referred to the Competition Authority. Following the authority's instructions, the three companies reduced their prices. The regulatory authority for telecommunications in Albania is the Electronic and Postal Communications Authority.