Technology

Moldova's telecommunications market features three main mobile operators: foreign-owned Orange and Moldcell, and state-owned Moldtelecom. The country also has several major internet and cable TV (IPTV) providers, including Moldtelecom, Orange, StarNet, Moldcell, and Arax. Moldtelecom maintains dominance in the declining fixed telephony market.

A notable characteristic of Moldova's telecom landscape is that no operator owns television or media businesses, a common practice for many countries. 

By the end of 2023, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, mobile telephone subscribers numbered 5,184,000, while fixed telephone subscribers totaled 847,000.

In 2024, Orange and Moldcell began rolling out 5G technology, initially in Chisinau and gradually expanding to other cities.

Moldova's internet performance, as measured by the Speedtest Global Index, places the country 57th globally in mobile broadband speed (50.78 Mbps download, below the global average of 56.78 Mbps) and 40th in fixed broadband (121.78 Mbps download, exceeding the global average of 94.16 Mbps).

The country ranks impressively in internet affordability, placing 3rd in Europe and 9th globally according to Cable.co.uk, with users paying an average of $9.19 (162 MDL) monthly for high-speed fixed internet.

The ICT sector contributes significantly to Moldova's economy, accounting for 7% of GDP in 2023, as reported by the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization.

Social media penetration is substantial, with DataReportal reporting 1.58 million active users as of January 2024. TikTok leads with 1.58 million adult users (60.6% of the adult population), followed by Facebook (1.3 million users, 38.5% of population) and Instagram (1.03 million users, 30.5% of population).