Business & Technology
RETN launches Romania backbone route via Moldova & Ukraine
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.
Jayden, 13 launched Jay’s Bakes from his home in Taunton Road in Bicester on Saturday, June 20.
His late nan, a keen baker herself, was the inspiration behind his passion, as well as time spent helping his uncle with his catering business.
Over the last 18 months he has honed his skills by preparing sweat treats every day after school.
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Determined to turn his hobby into something more, Jayden spent two and a half months researching requirements, gaining his Level 2 food hygiene certificate and officially registering his business, mostly without adult intervention.
After four days of preparation, the business officially launched.
Customers were treated to a wide selection of homemade goods, including M&M cookies, Kinder brownies, Biscoff cookies, Victoria sponge trays, lemon drizzle cups and viral ‘dot cakes’.
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His Kinder brownies proved particularly popular, and by the end of the day he had sold out of everything, taking £210.
Despite feeling “excited and a bit nervous” beforehand, Jayden said the opening was a success, with a strong turnout and positive feedback shared on social media.
His favourite moment came when he officially opened the shed by cutting the ribbon.
Supported by his mum, stepdad, grandparents and uncle, Jayden first began selling from a table in May before building and painting his now-signature blue cake shed.
He now plans to continue baking and selling regularly, bringing his creations to the local community.
Lidl has been given planning permission to build its ninth supermarket in Oxfordshire, despite concerns over flooding.
Aldi opened in Didcot in 2015 and has a supermarket at the Jubilee Way roundabout but shoppers in the town have had to wait over a decade for Lidl to follow.
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South Oxfordshire District Council has now backed plans by the German retailer for a new supermarket in Abingdon Road.
Former Didcot mayor Mocky Khan said: “This give the residents of Didcot more choice, especially when you consider the cost of living environment we have at the moment.
“The town is growing with more new homes being built, and with more growth it’s good to have a wide variety of supermarkets to fit all budgets,”
The plans for the new supermarket were first submitted in 2024.
Didcot Town Council previously objected to the scheme, on the grounds of a lack of flood risk mitigation measures, along with the county council who said there was “insufficient information”.
The town council noted there are “several flooding incidents in the area, especially when the Marsh Bridge water pumps fail”.
But in a report by planning officers granting permission to the supermarket, those issues have now been addressed by Lidl.
The officers said the proposals “largely accord” with the policies around planning, and more can be done to “break up” the car park with greenery.
Planning officers chose to let Lidl build the new supermarket subject to conditions.
They said in a report: “Balanced against this policy conflict is the fact that this is a previously developed site, which is currently in a dilapidated state.
“The proposals represent a significant improvement on the current underutilisation of the site and on its appearance.
“The National Planning Policy Framework and Local Plan set out significant support for the reuse of previously developed land.
“As stated in the applicant’s planning statement, there have been previous enquiries as to the redevelopment of the site that have not come to fruition.
“Given this, finding a viable use for the site is a clear benefit which I consider to be of substantial benefit.”
Thirty-four residents had objected to Lidl’s plans, highlighting concerns over extra traffic, there being no need for another supermarket in the town and there being more appropriate locations to build in their view.
Didcot already has an Aldi store just off Broadway and a Sainsbury’s, M&S Foodhall and Asda.
The nearest Lidl to the proposed site are in Lupton Road, Wallingford, and Marcham Road in Abingdon.
Three people wrote in to support the new Lidl, recognising the benefits of a discount food store and the further jobs it will create.
Lidl has said its proposals for a Didcot supermarket would deliver 40 full-time equivalent jobs as well as further employment during the construction phase.
No opening date was given by the retailer, while the developer is currently on site progressing with the enabling works.
A spokesman said: “We’ve seen demand for our affordable, high-quality products continue to rise in Oxfordshire, and we are committed to serving more communities in the area.
“Our new store will create around 40 new jobs and build on our continued growth.
“We’re excited to be a step closer to opening this store and thank everyone who has supported us on our journey so far.”
It also said the £12m investment would work with the 6,300 new homes allocated to be built, as per the local plan.
Dalcour Maclaren, a specialist in utilities and infrastructure, announced the news on June 22, following a detailed assessment of its operations, including governance, employee wellbeing, environmental impact, and social responsibility.
James Neil, CEO of Dalcour Maclaren, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Dalcour Maclaren.
“B Corp status gives us the official badge that recognises everything that matters most to us in our culture, our values, and how we make decisions for our people and our clients. We thrive on doing things differently at DM and B Corp absolutely endorses this.”
The certification means the company meets rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.
Dalcour Maclaren now joins more than 10,000 B Corps worldwide and over 2,600 in the UK, including well-known names such as The Guardian, Innocent Drinks, Patagonia, and The Big Issue.
Chris Turner, CEO of B Lab UK, said: “Welcoming Dalcour Maclaren to the B Corp community is hugely exciting. Its commitment to doing business differently will be an inspiration to others and will help spread the notion that success in business is as much about people and planet as it is profit.”
Dalcour Maclaren operates across the UK and Ireland, supporting major projects in energy, water, transport, and digital infrastructure. The company’s services include land, planning, environment, stakeholder engagement, and geospatial services.
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