ANRC Establishes the Requirements for Access to Local Loop

Today, June 24, 2004, the National Regulatory Authority for Communications launched for public consultation the draft Decision on the principles and prerequisites for the unbundled access to local loop. The document establishes the conditions under which S.C. Romtelecom S.A. will make available to the interested companies the twisted metallic pair local loop that is part of its own access network, for the purpose of providing broadband electronic communications services and telephony services.

The regulation of the requirements for the access to local loop, one of the most expected events on the Romanian communications market, is an essential step toward the improvement and diversification of the offer for communications services addressed to the consumers. By means of the document submitted to public consultation, ANRC intends to open up for competition the market of broadband Internet access services provided through the copper twisted metallic wires that are part of Romtelecom’s access network and are currently used mainly for fixed telephony services. The decision on unbundled access to local loop will allow Romtelecom to make available to the alternative operators those physical circuits that were previously used only by its clients. Thus, the alternative operators can easily increase users; awareness as regards its own telephony and broadband electronic communications services offers.

The decision to submit this document again to public consultation (it has been launched for consultation by ANRC for the first time in June, 2003) follows the completion of the discussions held with Romtelecom around the Reference Offer for leased lines–terminal segments which is technically and commercially correlated with the provisions of this document.

The draft decision is available for consultation on ANRC website. All interested persons are invited to send their comments no later than June 5, 2004. Comments and recommendations may be sent by mail to the ANRC headquarters at 14 Libertatii Blvd., Bucharest 5, or may be submitted directly to the ANRC registration office or to the territorial office of ANRC located in the nearest municipality. Comments may also be sent by fax at: +40 21 307 54 02 or by e-mail at: consultare@anrc.ro.