Each third family in Moldova has a fixed-line telephone. In 1941, the ratio of residents to phones was 10,000 : 12. The average broadband Internet penetration rate in Europe is now 21%, while in Moldova it is 5%. The data were presented by the director general of SA Moldtelecom Vitalie Iurcu in a news conference held to celebrate 120th years of the appearance of the first telephone service in Moldova, Info-Prim Neo reports. Minister of Information and Communitarian Technology Alexandru Oleini said that SA Moldtelecom is one of the largest taxpayers. “This company yearly invests about 1 billion lei and pays taxes of 600-700 million lei into the budget,” Oleinic said. The latest accomplishment of the telecoms carrier was the launch of its 3G mobile phone network. The first telephone station in Chisinau was put into operation in 1890. It had a capacity of 300 lines. The fixed-line telephone system now has over 1.1 million lines that are managed through the agency of 34 local offices of the company.