Starting 1 July 2010, the new average tariffs for the services of interconnection with the providers’ own networks set out by ANCOM for Cosmote, Telemobil and RDS&RCS come into force. This decrease is the last step of the glidepath applied on the tariffs charged for the interconnection in view of mobile call termination established at the beginning of 2009, by the decisions on the designation of the aforementioned operators as providers with significant power on the market of mobile call termination on their own public telephone networks.
According to the ANCOM Decisions, the average tariff to be imposed from 1 July on Cosmote and Telemobil for the interconnection services in view of mobile call termination will decrease to 5.03 eurocents/minute, from 5.67 eurocents/minute. Furthermore, on the same date, RDS&RCS will reduce its average tariff currently charged for the interconnection services from 6.4 eurocents / minute to 5.67 eurocents/minute. Orange and Vodafone will continue to apply an average tariff which must not exceed 5.03 eurocents/minute for such services. The above-mentioned tariffs do not include VAT.
“The regulations adopted by the Authority on the market for mobile call termination aim at promoting competition and protecting the interests of the end-users, who will benefit from more and more advantageous tariffs for their mobile conversations. We hope that the new interconnection tariffs of Cosmote, Telemobil and RDS&RCS will trigger lower costs for the end-users”, Catalin Marinescu, the President of ANCOM, declared.
The interconnection tariffs for mobile call termination were established based on the results of a cost calculation model developed by the Authority in 2006 and then decreased gradually, pursuant to the glidepath set out by ANCOM. This tariff glidepath, whose final stage begins on 1 July 2010, will be followed by the development (until the end of 2011) of a cost calculation model based on which symmetric interconnection tariffs will be established for all the operators of mobile telephone networks. ANCOM will elaborate the model in accordance with a methodology and a set of principles for the calculation and allocation of costs harmonised at European level. As of 1 January 2010, the European average of the tariffs charged for the services of mobile call termination was 6.3 eurocents/minute.