On Thursday, April 6, 2006, at the headquarters of the National Regulatory Authority for Communications, during a new meeting of the Consultative Council, the new version of the Reference Unbundling Offer (RUO) and of the decision on reporting statistical data by the providers of electronic communications networks and services were adopted.
The new RUO provides all the tariffs that Romtelecom may charge on the companies who require access to the local loop. In order to prevent discriminatory situations, where, for example, Romtelecom could have access to the local loop under more advantageous terms than those offered to its competitors, this company was imposed the obligation to publish its Internal Reference Unbundling Conditions (IRUC) as well as the set of comparative quality indicators which should prove the company’s compliance with the non-discrimination obligation.
Romtelecom will have the obligation to provide in the RUO all the activities that are part of the service of access to the local loop, together with reasonable tariffs, as well as the damages due in case it breaches its own offer provisions.
The system of reporting statistical data by the communications providers was improved by updating and detailing the reported indicators, the terms and the regular basis of this reporting. For example, the providers of fixed telephone services will report the number of subscribers, the number of access lines, as well as the traffic volume registered through the access networks of third parties, in detail, at the level of each type of access support.
As far as mobile telephony is concerned, the providers will further report indicators regarding the new technologies used (3G, EV-DO). The new reporting system will provide for monitoring the rate of use for the services provided by means of prepaid cards, respectively the number of active cards used during the past year, the traffic and the income resulted from these services. The rate of using Internet access services will be monitored by means of the number of subscribers, the number of connections, as well as by means of the traffic volume achieved by the end-users.
The industry representatives participating in the Consultative Council meeting agreed upon the ANRC proposal on transmitting financial statistical data and personnel information on an annual basis, instead of a half-yearly basis, as previously in force. Such data shall be reported within 90 days from the date of completing the respective financial year.
Additional Information
What is RUO?
RUO is the document containing all the services Romtelecom has the obligation to make available for the alternative providers who want to offer telephone and broadband Internet services through the local loop (the twisted metallic pair connecting a subscriber to a telephone exchange).
What is IRUC?
IRUC is the document detailing the existing differences between the conditions under which the local loop unbundling services are provided at internal level (for Romtelecom) and the conditions under which these services are offered to the alternative providers. IRUC is – in fact – an “Internal Reference Unbundling Offer” that includes both the full set of services of unbundled access to the local loop and the detailed conditions under which these services are offered at internal level, for the purpose of Romtelecom providing services to its own units.