Thursday, 3 June 2010, the President of the National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM), Catalin Marinescu, presented in Timisoara, during a press conference, the outcome of the inspection conducted at RCS & RDS and Telemobil for the purpose of verifying the 3G licences, as well as the entry into force of the new general authorisation regime applicable to the electronic communications providers. Organised as part of the series of ”ANCOM’s Regional Meetings”, this event gathering more than 100 representatives of the operators in the counties of Arad, Caras-Severin, Hunedoara and Timis is the first of the six such regional consultative meetings to be held by the Authority.
Within the debate organised in Timisoara, the ANCOM representatives discussed with the participants issues related to the evolution of the electronic communications services and postal services markets, the Authority’s activity, objectives and priorities, the legislative developments, the regulatory decisions and the monitoring and control activities. At the same time, the operators had the opportunity to address questions or highlight a series of problems they faced on the local level, within ANCOM’s scope of competence.
The ANCOM President, Catalin Marinescu, announced that, during 8 January – 31 March 2010, the Authority conducted an inspection in order to verify whether RCS & RDS and Telemobil complied with their coverage obligations imposed by the 3G licences granted in 2006 (as amended on 22 November 2009, for Telemobil).
”31 December 2009 marked the end of the second 3G network development stage. According to the measurements performed, both operators’ radio signal corresponds to the parameters established by the licence, in accordance with the obligations undertaken, at all the measurement locations”, the ANCOM President declared.
For the purpose of checking compliance with the terms of the 3G licence granted to RCS & RDS, ANCOM performed measurements in 176 localities with a total population of 10,698,335 inhabitants and on 33 roads totalling 3,763 km. Concerning Telemobil, the Authority performed measurements in 62 localities with a total population of 8,963,466 inhabitants and on 158 roads totalling 3,951 km (cumulative population and road coverage at the end of the second phase).
Upon the completion of the second phase, on 31 December 2009, the Authority initiated field verifications using the integrated radio information system – RADIS. The verification involved driving along the respective roads at a speed of maximum 80 km/h, so that the 3G scanner could perform at least 4 data acquisitions per 100 m, as well as along the main avenues, streets, in the main squares, along the secondary roads and at the outskirts of localities, thus ensuring homogenous measurements. Furthermore, the Authority also pursued verifying the whole urban area. The measurements were performed by 20 ANCOM specialists.
As regards the new general authorisation regime for the electronic communications providers, in force as of 29 May 2010, the major amendments concern the Standard Notification Form and the Service Description File, triggering all the electronic communications network and/or service providers’ obligation to submit a re-authorisation request to ANCOM, no later than 31 December 2010.
Also, the ANCOM decision contains specific provisions regarding the regime of foreign entities, new instances in which the right to provide electronic communications networks or services ceases, details the procedure of suspending this right and stipulates the providers’ obligation to send to ANCOM the list of localities where they actually provide public terrestrial networks at fixed locations, on physical support.
The presentations delivered by the ANCOM representatives on the occasion of this first regional meeting with the local industry are available, in the Romanian language, here.