22 November 2013
22.11.2013
The Romanian National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) sanctioned Romtelecom S.A. with a RON 300,000 fine for failure to fully observe the coverage obligations the operator took on under the Licence for the use of radio frequencies for the provision of mobile communications networks and services in the 410-415/420-425 MHz bands.
Within the procedure that the Authority held in 2008 for awarding the mobile communications licence in the 410-415/420-425 MHz bands, Romtelecom S.A. (Romtelecom) undertook the obligation to cover with radio signal 90.05% of the national territory, as well as a certain number of cities and roads corresponding to each network deployment phase.
In order to verify the compliance with these obligations, ANCOM ran an on-field measurement campaign which included 4,474 of the 4,975 roads which the operator committed to cover under the licence it holds, respectively 268 of the 269 cities assumed under the licence. The ANCOM inspectors thus found out that 1,785 roads are not covered in the proportion undertaken under the licence, and in 20 of the measured localities the radio signal coverage is below the one assumed.
Government Emergency Ordinance no. 111/2011 provides that the operator’s failure to observe the coverage obligations according to the licence for the use of radio frequencies for the provision of mobile communications networks and services is a contravention. Therefore ANCOM sanctioned Romtelecom with a RON 300,000 fine.
Romtelecom was awarded the licence for the use of the 410-415/420-425 MHz bands in September 2008, following a public open tender (comparative selection procedure) held by the Authority. These frequencies allow the provision of voice services, services of data transmission at an average download transfer speed of 128 Kb/s and PAMR-specific services (push to talk voice services, simultaneous voice and data services, dispatch services, prioritization and automatic putting on hold of conversations, conversations between members of a defined group, dynamic allocation within groups). The optional services that can be offered are tracking, data/IP packages, capability to provide virtual private networks (VPN) and video applications.