On Tuesday, October 30, 2007, Dan Georgescu, President of the National Regulatory Authority for Communications and Information Technology, and Viorica Buzdugan, General Manager of Rartel, were present at Curtisoara in order to launch the telecentre herein, installed by Rartel within the national programme for the implementation of the universal service initiated by ANRCTI.
“More than 17,000 children living in the communities where telecentres have been installed so far have access now to modern technology and, consequently, to information. I am pleased that we are able to offer the children of Curtisoara the chance to learn how to use a computer and that they shall have equal chances with most of the children living in the city to specialize in professions that would change their future”, Dan Georgescu, the President of ANRCTI, declared.
He also showed that due to the programme for the implementation of the universal service initiated by ANRCTI, approx. 230,000 inhabitants of 271 villages and commons where telecentres have been installed have now access to telephony and Internet. In Olt county, out of the 29 telecentres to be installed following the tenders organised by ANRCTI, 22 telecentres are already functional.
“RARTEL S.A. is one of the companies which participated in the tenders ANRCTI organised for the implementation of the universal service by means of telecentres. In a very short period of time, out of the 62 telecentres Rartel has to install, the company’s specialists have already performed the installation of 58 telecentres. The telecentres ensure the access to Internet, telephony and fax for all the inhabitants of the disfavoured areas included under this programme. The specificity offered by our services is represented by the provision of satellite communications, a solution which proved to be feasible under the hard weather conditions registered during this summer”, Viorica Buzdugan, General Manager of Rartel, declared.
The telecentre of Curtisoara is installed within the interior of the village’s culture house, where there is the library as well, thus being offered to the pupils learning at the local school a unique point of access to information, both by traditional means and by modern technology.
The 271 telecentres installed so far prove the interest the inhabitants in the rural area have for knowledge and development, as well as telecentres’ utility in the community’s development. Such an example is represented by one of the telecentres Rartel installed in Manzatesti village, Vaslui county – this year, the community therein has dealt with a hail and a strong storm, and used the services offered by the telecentre in order to call for the ambulance, police and local authorities, as well as to contact the relatives outside the village.
Following the tender organised in June for the installation of telecentres in other 130 Romanian localities with low availability of telephony services, ANRCTI designated 3 winning companies. Vodafone Romania shall install other 34 telecentres, Orange Romania shall install other 42 telecentres, whereas the National Radiocommunications Company shall perform the installation of other 54 telecentres.
The national programme for the installation of telecentres in villages with limited or without access to telephony services was initiated by ANRCTI in 2004. So far, ANRCTI has organised 6 tenders for the installation of telecentres in 461 localities. 271 telecentres are already functional.