The Telekomunikacja Polska S.A. has its roots in the state-owned entity Polska Poczta, Telegraf i Telefon (Polish Post, Telegraph and Telephone), Poland's sole provider of telecommunication services for over sixty years. Following the Communications Act of November 23rd 1990 Polska Poczta, Telegraf i Telefon was divided. It has resulted in emergence of Poczta Polska (Polish Post) and Telekomunikacja Polska (Polish Telecom), which was established in 1992 as a joint-stock company with the State Treasury as its sole shareholder (holding 100% shares) after the completion of Stage Three of the privatization process that took place in 2001.
Telekomunikacja Polska is hardly 10 years old. During this period it has been transformed from a telephone company into the largest telecommunication group in Central and Eastern Europe, which operates in the fixed line, mobile phone, data transmission, satellite transmission, radio communication, and Internet sectors, and it is constantly expanding its range of services to include new business areas, to exceed all the needs and expectations of its customers.
The main pillars of the TP S.A. Group are: PTK-Centertel, TPI Internet, TP Invest, Marketplanet, Incenti and Wirtualna Polska. TP Group operates the country's largest technical telecommunications infrastructure, and offers its services to over 14.5 million customers. Group's basic capital as of 31 December 2001 stood at PLN 4,200,000 thousand and was divided into 1,400 million ordinary shares with a face value of PLN 3 per share. The stock of the company is quoted on the Warsaw and London Stock Exchanges. TP S.A. has recently acquired a strong strategic partner – France Telecom.
TP S.A. started its operation with a ratio of 9.33 telephones per 100 inhabitants. At the end of 2001 that ratio had been raised to 29.8%. In 2004 the company expects 34.7% of Poles to have access to telephones and 43.8% to have mobile phones, and 29.1% of the population to use the Internet.
Other strategic objectives TP S.A. is committed to are:
1. Maintaining its leading position as the market leader in the fixed line sector by offering the clients integrated services in terms of quality and share of the market;
2. Attain at least one-third share of the Polish mobile phone market;
3. Further develop the data transmission and leased line services;
4. Become the preferred supplier of Internet and multimedia services in Poland.
