Telekom Romania announces emergency measure for companies affected by the economic downturn due to the coronavirus epidemic

Telekom Romania offers unlimited communications, with a 100% discount, to all customers companies that have tariff plans with traffic included, for one month, starting today.

• The company supports work from home: 100% reduction, for one month, at the extraoption of unlimited 4G mobile voice and internet services for all business customers who have limited tariff plans;
• For companies that will port in online until May 17, 2020, Telekom Romania offers the Freedom 5 package, with unlimited mobile connectivity, voice and 4G internet, with a 100% discount in the first six months after porting;
• The company supports  entrepreneurs unconditionally. During this period, they are concerned about the evolution of the economy, in general, and do not yet have transparency on how and when they will be able to resume their activity as before;

The extra option can be activated from the MyAccount Telekom management application, in a few simple steps, without any additional cost or contractual constraints. At the end of the validity period, the extra option will be deactivated automatically, and the customers will return to the initial benefits. Later, they will be able to choose this extra option, at a cost, by calling the phone number 1921 or directly from the MyAccount Telekom application.

“This is our way of supporting the business environment in Romania, through concrete measures, with limited applicability. We will continue to analyze how we can contribute to the survival of the most affected industries as well as to the return of the companies from our country to the optimum level of functioning. It is a commitment of loyalty of Telekom Romania to the Romanian companies, to the entrepreneurs, managers and to their employees. At the same time, it is a promise to keep Romania connected, to support the businesses to go through this period as easily as possible, thus contributing to the continuity of their activity”, said Ovidiu Ghiman, Commercial Executive Director of Segment Business.

Romania connected

Since the outbreak of emergency state in our country, on March 16, 2020, Telekom Romania has launched a series of offers, tools and facilities that support the activity of entrepreneurs, as stated by Ovidiu Ghiman, Executive Director of Commercial Business Segment:

• “Business Continuity” is a unique product on the Romanian telecommunications market, through which you can purchase, with 100% discount, for three months, a package consisting of unlimited mobile connectivity, voice and 4G internet, Norton Security Online security solutions for devices, but also applications for organizing audio and video conferences from strategic partners, Microsoft and Cisco.
• Telekom Romania has extended the commercial offers launched at the beginning of the year also for the entrepreneurs who will port online & offline, until May 17, 2020, and who opt for the Freedom 5 subscription with 100% reduction in the cost of the invoices in the first six months after porting. More details about this offer can be found here.
• To continue the studies from the distance, Telekom offers a free package that includes both access licenses in the Adservio educational management platform and unlimited 4G mobile connectivity. So far, over 300,000 new students, 18,000 teachers, from over 2,000 schools, but also 600,000 parents have signed up for the platform in recent weeks, said Ovidiu Ghiman.

Ovidiu Ghiman: We support entrepreneurs to be able to continue their business from home

At the same time, in the conditions of social distancing, technology is the only way to maintain communication with colleagues, teachers, family members or friends. That is why, now, more than ever, employers must benefit from services and solutions that facilitate work from home and that provide all the premises for carrying out the activity in optimal conditions.

What are the concerns of entrepreneurs?

• Entrepreneurs still do not know what to expect. They are concerned about the evolution of the economy and it is difficult for them to estimate how and when they will be able to resume their activity, as before;
• Businesses that have problems are proactively looking at the categories of costs they can reduce, creating a cascading effect across the economy;
• Entrepreneurs wonder how their business will be affected if their partners, their suppliers, their customers have problems. Many of them now realize how interconnected are the market mechanisms;
• More than 30% of companies admit that they were not prepared to manage their business in the new context and are actively looking for solutions to adapt;
• Although the negative impact on cash flow is at highest level in the case of small companies, the level of stress declared is highest in the segment of medium companies, having pressure from customers, suppliers and employees.

The general attitude of the entrepreneurs is rather pessimistic, with a plus in the case of the average companies, after most of the companies were forced by the situation to close their activity, reveals a study of the marketing research agency ISRA*, made at the request of Telekom Romania, explains Ovidiu Ghiman, Executive Commercial Director of Business Segment.

The companies that replied to the questionnaire acknowledge that the impact of the pandemic has been generalized and not just on their business, given that there is an interdependence between them and their suppliers.

Some of the entrepreneurs did not imagine that their business (urban transportation, construction, window assembly, furniture trade) could continue without face-to-face interaction, but now they are able to communicate very well online with employees and to ensure business continuity.        On the other hand, those who were forced to suspend their activity, are planning to return to the actual business immediately after the end of the emergency, most estimating June.

Ovidiu Ghiman also describes situations in which businesses have reinvented themselves in short term: “During this difficult period, several companies managed to continue their activity by completely changing the business model: a car wash takes over the customers’ cars from home, they wash it and returns them to the customer’s address; a law firm offers legal advice, instead of court representation; an accounting firm offers most of the time advice on technical unemployment issues”.

Another study** carried out at the request of Telekom Romania, shows that for 63% of companies, the biggest cause of stress is represented by the imminent economic crisis, according to Ovidiu Ghiman, the Executive Director of Commercial Business Segment. At the same time, the financial impact and the decrease of the level of activity represent the main problems that companies face: 79% experience liquidity problems, 74% register canceled projects or orders, 50% expect late payments from customers, while 43% have stated that they have difficulties in covering salaries.

Tips for work from home

Under the current conditions, Telekom Romania is very connected to the needs of its customers and has observed a very high dynamics in changing the business operating model, after 53% of the companies have resorted to work from home, according to Ovidiu Ghiman.

In this regard, Telekom Romania has prepared a guide with useful information for entrepreneurs.

“When we talk about continuing the professional activity outside the office, I think there are three important aspects to consider: connectivity solutions, data security and digital tools that can make our work easier. Thus, employees need a secure broadband internet connection, ensuring communication with the company’s systems, through a VPN connection. This will grant the minimum necessary for the security of the company’s data. It is also very important to use collaboration tools to facilitate team work, such as audio / video conferencing solutions, document editing / sharing applications. Another aspect, underestimated by many people, is the importance of the accessories and equipment used. Working from home means a lot more video calls. Teams like to be seen when they work together, so you’ll want a good webcam and headphones for a comfortable and quality experience”, said Ovidiu Ghiman, Executive Director Commercial Business Segment.