08 February 2013
During the meeting of the Consultative Committee held today, 6 February 2013, the National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) agreed its 2013 Action Plan with the relevant industry.
2013 brings important changes for the telecommunications industry, generated by the adoption, in the last quarter of 2012, of the law regarding the regime of the electronic communications networks infrastructure. The new legislative framework contains provisions regarding the establishment of a transparent and non-discriminatory procedure for the conclusion of contracts for access to the public property and regulates the manner of exercising the right of access on a property following the conclusion of a contract for access to the infrastructure of electronic communications networks, including its shared use.
In 2013, with a view to fulfilling its attributions under this law, the Authority will initiate major projects such as an inventory of the public electronic communications networks and of the associated infrastructure elements, the establishment of a database including the conditions and contracts for access on the public property of the state or of the territorial-administrative units as well as the elaboration of a standard contract for access on private property for the purpose of installation, maintenance, replacement or relocation of public electronic communications networks or of associated infrastructure elements. Moreover, in order to support all those envisaged by the provisions of this law, respectively the providers of networks, owners and public authorities, ANCOM will launch an information campaign regarding the major changes triggered by the new legislation to the regime of access on properties and of the infrastructure shared use.
Furthermore, during 2013, ANCOM will complete the costing models for the provision of interconnection services in view of the termination, origination and national switched transit of calls at fixed locations and of call termination at mobile locations, of auxiliary services, Ethernet backhaul services and services of leased lines-terminating segments of up to 2 Mbps (supplied through the transmissions network).
With a view to helping the end-users to make informed decisions and to obtain maximum benefits in the competitive communications market, in 2013, ANCOM will complete the implementation of two important projects: the Online Application Comparing the Communications Offers Intended for End-Users, financed from European funds and the online application for measuring the technical quality parameters of the Internet access services.
ANCOM will also elaborate a handbook regarding the conclusion and minimum content of the distance contracts on the provision of publicly available electronic communications services, which is designed to offer the providers a set of clarifications regarding the manner of interpretation and implementation of the specific legal obligations in the field of electronic communications.
During the current year, ANCOM also committed to amending the specialty secondary legislation in the radio spectrum field, by reviewing the procedure of authorisation for the provision of audio-visual programmes and the procedure of requesting and issuing licences for the use of radio frequencies and of numbering resources, as well as that of updating the NTFA according to the international provisions in force. Moreover, the strategies regarding the use of the frequency bands over 40 GHz allotted to the fixed service, the implementation and development of BWA systems in the 3400-3800 MHz band in the period 2011-2020 and granting the rights of use of the 450 MHz band will be elaborated. Moreover, in 2013, there will be organised a public consultation regarding the future of the frequency bands unawarded following the 2012 spectrum auction.
After the adoption of the new law of postal services, ANCOM will review the general authorisation regime for postal services and will assess whether the postal services within the scope of Universal Service can be provided through the competitive mechanisms of the market or the designation of one of several Universal Service providers will be needed.
ANCOM’s Action Plan for 2013 has been posted on the Authority’s website and may be accessed here.