Romanian mobile phone operator Cosmote has announced that it will again donate part of the revenues from texts sent on New Year's Eve to children's charities. This year, Cosmote's Messages of Love/Mesaje de iubire campaign will give a maximum of EUR 40,000 to up to eight NGOs working with children in need.

Established NGOs that meet a number of eligibility requirements can now apply for funding via Cosmote's scheme. The closing date for applications is April 12, after which time Cosmote will choose up to eight winning organizations to receive a maximum of EUR 5,000 each.

Since launching the program in 2008, Cosmote Romania has given a total of EUR 185,000 to 17 NGOs involved in children's causes. Find out more about the campaign, including how to apply for funding, on the Cosmote website.

Greek – owned mobile telephony operator Cosmote ended 2012 with decreases across revenues but with higher profits in Romania, the country which became the top performer among parent company’s OTE’s markets. The lower revenues were in line with its entire international mobile telephony business. The revenues drop in Romania was among the lowest, of 1.2 percent year-on-year, to EUR 464.8 million end – 2012. At the end of 2012, Cosmote Romania’s total customer base stood at 6.3 million, of whom almost a quarter held postpaid contracts. The total number of subscribers went down by 3.3 percent throughout 2012, according to OTE.

Liam Lever, liam@romania-insider.com