The National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) launches for public consultation a draft decision on the amendment and completion of certain regulations in the field of the numbering resources and a draft decision on the allotment and use of national short numbers for national services of public interest.
The Authority proposes a series of provisions for the amendment and completion of the decision on the procedure of requesting and issuing a licence for the use of numbering resources, with a view to allotting the geographic short numbers for services of general interest provided at the local level, in the 0Z = 02 domain. The numbers for the provision of services of general interest at the local level are geographic numbers consisting of seven digits, including the county prefix and the actual number, the first two digits of these numbers being either 02, or 03 (for example, 0232982 – Iasi Citizen Protection, 0267956 – Covasna Gendarmery, 0219844 – Hello, Mr. Mayor / Bucharest). Taking into account the fact that the current regulatory framework provides for the allotment of only 03- numbers to other providers than Romtelecom, an amendment was required, in order to enable the allotment of 02- numbers also to the alternative providers. The geographic short numbers for services of general interest provided at local level, in the 0Z = 02 domain are to be allotted and used according to the same rules as the numbers in the 0Z = 03 domain.
ANCOM’s draft decision also aims at clarifying certain issues regarding the legal regime applied to those entities that request the right for the use of numbering resources, as well as regarding the conditions for transferring numbers and the grounds for suspending or withdrawing, totally or partially, the Licence for the use of numbering resources (LURN).
National short numbers for services of public interest provided at a national level will be used for services such as:
a) citizens’ safety (police, gendarmerie);
b) medical assistance;
c) public utility complaints (telephone, gas, electricity, water and sewerage);
d) citizens assistance (consumer protection, the Ombudsman);
e) information services (railway information, airways information, the weather, road quality);
f) assistance for the electronic communications service providers (customer relations, service guide).
National short numbers for services of public interest provided at a national level, currently consisting of 4 digits, are used by Romtelecom for the provision of certain services (for example: The Time – 1958, Telephone Service Failure – 1921).
The Authority deems it is necessary to lengthen the national short numbers to 4 or 5 digits, under the form of 19vx(y), depending on the type of services envisaged, as well as on the importance, from the user’s viewpoint, of the service provided. For instance, the services referring to the citizens’ safety will be provided via 4-digit numbers, whereas the services related to the signalling of public utilities interruptions or to the assistance the providers offer to their subscribers – via 5-digit numbers.
In order to enable other providers of electronic communications services to use national short numbers, ANCOM launches for public consultation a separate draft decision whereby it establishes the specific conditions for the allotment and use of the national short numbers for national services of public interest. With a view to reflecting the social character of the services provided via this type of numbering, the draft provides that the retail tariffs for calls to the 19vx(y) national short numbers charged by an electronic communications provider may exceed by up to 50% the tariffs charged for national calls. This ceiling was imposed so as to enable the users to make the distinction between the services provided via these numbers and those provided via the Premium Rate numbers (i.e. 09xx xxx xxx). Similarly to other types of numbering under the National Numbering Plan (NNP), the national short numbers are allotted exclusively to the providers of publicly available electronic communications services, which, on their turn, may assign these numbers to the providers of services of public interest. Additionally, the draft decision provides a mechanism of reservation of these numbers, upon the request of a public authority or institution with attributions in ensuring certain national services of public interest, under the law.
Furthermore, the draft decision proposes a set of transitory provisions, as well as a two-year transition period from the date of entry into force of the decision on amending the national short numbers 1921, 1930, 1935, 1951, 1957, 1958, currently used by Romtelecom for the provision of national services of public interest. Such a transition period would enable the provider to implement the 19vxy national short numbers, considering that the services provided through the abovementioned numbers are part of the 5-digit number category.
The two draft decisions are available for consultation on the ANCOM website, here. The interested persons are invited to send their comments and suggestions, by 22.04.2010, at the ANCOM headquarters in 2 Delea Noua Street, Bucharest 3, or directly to the ANCOM Registry. Comments and recommendations may also be sent by fax to +40 732 845 404 or by e-mail to consultare@ancom.org.ro.