RETN has launched a new backbone route across Romania linking the Balkans, Moldova and Ukraine, adding a new physical connectivity option in Eastern Europe.

The end-to-end path connects Drobeta, Bucharest, Iași and Chișinău as a continuous backbone route. It provides an alternative to existing regional IP transit corridors and extends RETN’s optical network in Central and Eastern Europe.

The new link ties Romania and Moldova into RETN’s existing Balkans corridor, which connects Budapest, Timișoara and Sofia. This creates a new geographical path across the region and adds route diversity to its international backbone.

It also opens an alternative routing option to Ukraine through Moldova and to the Balkans through Bulgaria. The network is aimed at telecom operators, internet service providers, enterprises and international customers moving traffic across Eastern and South-Eastern Europe.

Regional demand

The launch comes as Romania’s broadband market continues to expand. Data from Romania’s National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications shows the country had 6.9 million fixed broadband connections by mid-2025.

Of those connections, 37% were capable of gigabit speeds, according to the regulator. Average fixed broadband traffic per person has also been rising, pointing to stronger demand for bandwidth.

Internet use in Romania reached about 94% of the population by late 2025, according to market figures cited by RETN. Bucharest and Iași have become increasingly important centres for business, education and technology, adding pressure on communications infrastructure.

Physical route diversity is becoming a growing concern for carriers and network operators in the region, particularly as they seek alternatives to established corridors. New routes can help manage outages, distribute traffic loads and build more resilience into cross-border networks.

The project forms part of a broader push to strengthen RETN’s footprint in Central and Eastern Europe. The company operates a Eurasian network spanning Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, with onward links to China and Southeast Asia.

That broader network gives RETN a role in carrying international traffic between European and Asian markets. Adding a route through Romania and Moldova increases the number of path options available within that system.

Company view

RETN positioned the expansion as a response to changing traffic patterns and rising infrastructure demand in Romania and neighbouring markets.

“This project is an important step in strengthening connectivity resilience in Romania,” said Olena Lutsenko, Business Development Director at RETN.

“Bucharest and Iași are rapidly developing hubs for business, education and technology, and demand for resilient, high-capacity infrastructure is rising fast. By delivering a direct route from Timișoara to Bucharest and onward to Chișinău, we are enabling faster, more scalable access to the region from the Balkans, Ukraine and Central and Eastern Europe in general – for operators, ISPs, enterprises and international customers,” Lutsenko said.

The route gives RETN another way to connect traffic flows between the Balkans and markets further east. In practice, operators seeking alternatives to existing paths can route traffic through Romania and Moldova instead of relying solely on more established corridors.

Romania has emerged as an important network market in the region because of strong fibre adoption and rising internet use. Moldova and Ukraine also sit on strategically important transit paths for regional and international traffic, making cross-border network design more significant for carriers serving the area.

The expansion underlines the continued build-out of communications infrastructure across Eastern and South-Eastern Europe as operators add redundancy and support growing data volumes. It also reflects the importance of Bucharest, Iași and Chișinău on the wider map of regional connectivity.

Experience Oxfordshire’s boss said Puy du Fou will “drive job creation, stimulate economic growth” and increase visitor spend” to Cherwell and the county.

Some 25 million visitors come to Oxfordshire annually, generating roughly £2.4bn in economic impact and supporting 40,000 jobs.

In the Cherwell district, where Puy du Fou is planned for close to Bicester, tourism spending is fast approaching £500 million.

Puy du Fou in France (Image: Puy du Fou)

“This sector is therefore crucial to ongoing economic development, prosperity and employment,” said Experience Oxfordshire chief executive Hayley Beer-Gamage.

“Puy du Fou will further strengthen this position across both the district and the wider county.”

Ms Beer-Gamage said Puy du Fou should also fill in a gap in the market for Oxfordshire, which so far it has been lacking on.

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The proposed development includes conference facilities for up to 500 delegates which would be a “significant opportunity” for Oxfordshire.

She said capacity for such a thing is “currently lacking” within the county and so having one would enable Oxfordshire to “attract more national and international business events, generating additional spend for accommodation and hospitality providers, and wider visitor economy businesses”.

Hayley Beer-Gammage of Experience Oxfordshire

Experience Oxfordshire’s boss added: “Oxfordshire is already home to globally recognised attractions such as Blenheim Palace, the University of Oxford, and Bicester Village.

“The addition of Puy du Fou would further strengthen the county’s position on the international tourism map, offering a compelling and diverse range of experiences.

“Furthermore, Puy du Fou’s commitment to job creation and local infrastructure investment reinforces the long-term value of this proposal.

“With an estimated £600 million investment and the creation of up to 8,000 jobs, this development represents a unique and significant opportunity.

“Experience Oxfordshire fully supports this application and strongly encourages the Council to approve it as a high-quality and transformative asset for the Cherwell area.”

It comes as VisitBritain recently said Puy du Fou’s operator “offers a truly distinctive visitor experience through its historic theme park concept” and said it “can see the potential for this project to generate significant interest and excitement among domestic and international visitors alike.”

The park would be open between April and October and would have four period villages and 13 live shows, eventually attracting an estimated 1.47 million visitors a year.

There will also be three hotels, each themed to different periods in British history, and a ‘state-of-the-art’ conference centre, which will be open on demand all year round.

The decision now lies with Cherwell council, and if approved, the new park will open in phases beginning in 2029.

A major rebrand is on the cards after Santander UK’s recent near-£3 billion acquisition of TSB.

Santander UK is reportedly planning to phase out the TSB name following its takeover.

It marked the single biggest investment in Britain’s banking sector for more than 15 years.

Santander has completed its acquisition of @TSB, bringing together two recognised banking brands to become the UK’s third largest high street bank.

Read more, here:https://t.co/SUnRFed8Ki pic.twitter.com/0e2DOjkqfk

— TSB News (@TSB_News) May 1, 2026

TSB bank to disappear from high street after £2.9 billion Santander takeover

British retail and commercial bank TSB, based in Scotland, was founded in 1810, originating from the Trustee Savings Bank movement.

The TSB brand came about in the 60s, and in the 70s, the various trustee banks amalgamated to become TSB, with the brand then listed in 1986.

It merged with Lloyds Bank in 1995, which led to the formation of Lloyds TSB in 1999.

In 2015, TSB confirmed a takeover bid by Sabadell for £1.7 billion, and today, TSB operates around 175 bank sites across the UK.

Santander agreed a £2.65 billion buyout of TSB from Spanish banking group Sabadell last year, but said the final price paid rose to £2.9 billion on completion.

Now, after the takeover, Santander is reportedly set to drop the TSB brand and run the combined business as Santander UK once the two lenders have been integrated, according to the Financial Times.

Reports also say that there would be no changes to the TSB brand, TSB accounts or products for at least 12 months.

UK high street shops that no longer exist

A spokesman for Santander said: “The acquisition of TSB is about creating a stronger, more competitive bank in the UK, with the scale to invest significantly more in customer service, technology and products.

“TSB is a strong consumer banking brand and we recognise the value it has built with customers and within the UK market over a long time.

“We will consider carefully how to make the most of the brand value in our model long term and expect no immediate changes.

 “Our guidance for expected integration benefits remain unchanged at above £400mn in pre-tax cost synergies by 2028.

“Given the similarities between Santander and TSB’s business model, we have previously indicated that this may be exceed over time across the combined business; however, any upside would come across the combined business and beyond our planning horizon of 2028.

“Our focus is on creating the best bank for customers in the UK and we are optimistic in the value this will create for all involved.”

Oxfordshire TSB branches at risk of closure

These are all the TSB branches that are currently open in Oxfordshire and could face closure:

• Chipping Norton – Market Place, Chipping Norton Town Hall, OX7 5NA
• Wantage – 44 Market Place, Wantage, OX12 8AR
• Witney – 13 High Street, Witney, OX28 6PH

What does the TSB takeover mean for customers?

The Santander UK takeover of TSB will see the combined group become the UK’s third biggest bank for current accounts and fourth for mortgages, with nearly 28 million customers nationwide.

Santander, which is owned by Banco Santander, said there would be no immediate change for customers of Santander or TSB, who can continue using their accounts and cards in the same way.

Nicola Bannister, who became chief executive of TSB on Friday (May 1), said: “Today marks a significant new chapter for TSB as we become part of Santander.

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“I look forward to leading TSB as we combine the very best of these two great businesses.”

Mahesh Aditya, Santander UK’s new chief executive, added: “This is excellent news for UK banking, with the acquisition representing the single largest investment in the sector for over 15 years.

“Bringing TSB into the Santander group strengthens competitiveness in the market and is an important step in creating the best bank for customers.”

Will the potential TSB closures affect you? Tell us in the comments below.