During a meeting with the electronic communications industry, the National Authority for Communications established that the terminals “captive” (encoded) in the mobile telephony networks should be released according to a good practice code elaborated by the ANC specialists together with the representatives of all the mobile telephony operators.
“Within three weeks we will have a good practice code for the release of terminals, a code to be observed by all the mobile telephony operators. This code will include most of the provisions in the ANC’s draft regulation, while allowing each operator to elaborate its own procedure,”, the ANC President, Mr. Liviu Nistoran, declared.
Four of the mobile telephony operators (Cosmote, Orange, Vodafone and Zapp) expressed their agreement on adhering to this good practice code and on participating in its preparation, starting from the draft decision proposed by ANC. The providers will release, free of charge, at the users’ request, any terminal purchased together with the communications services and encoded in view of being operational only in the network of the respective providers. The release is to be free of charge if the compulsory minimum period of network loyalty, as established by contract, is over.
If the user requires the release before the expiry of the contract period, the provider has the obligation to release the terminal, provided that the user fulfils the assumed contract obligations (the payment of certain price differences or cancellation penalties).
Unsubsidized mobile terminals purchased before the adoption of the good practice code can also be released, free of charge, upon the end-user’s request.
Furthermore, the providers will have the obligation that, prior to concluding a contract for the provision of electronic communications services, they inform the users on the costs incurred in case of releasing the terminal before the expiry of the contract period, specifying both the costs of releasing the terminals and the amounts born by the providers for subsidizing the locked terminal.