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ANCOM adopted its 2018 Action Plan

12.02.2018

 

ANCOM and the industry debated and adopted the institution’s 2018 Action Plan during the Consultative Council meeting of 7 February 2018. ”Implementing the infrastructure law, adopting a national strategy for the achievement of the broadband access targets of the Digital Agenda for Europe and the coordinated introduction of 5G services in Europe, as well as reviewing the fixed and mobile call termination rates are but a few of the Authority’s actions agreed with the industry. All these projects will result in a wider coverage of electronic communications services and in the deployment of new technologies, to the end-users’ benefit” – declared ANCOM Vice-president Eduard LOVIN.

Law no. 159/2016 on the physical infrastructure regime

The actions for the effective implementation of the Infrastructure Law are among the most important 2018 projects, aiming at reducing the costs of electronic communications networks roll-out in Romania.

A priority for the Authority in this respect, with direct and immediate impact on the industry and users, is the issuance of a decision to set the tariffs for exercising the right of access to public property.

In 2018, the regulator will take the necessary steps for carrying out the national inventory of the public electronic communications networks and of the associated physical infrastructure elements and will start collaboration with other institutions for elaborating the technical rules on the design and building of physical infrastructures and electronic communications networks.

Spectrum management and administration

In 2018, ANCOM will develop and adopt its national position on awarding the rights of use for the radio spectrum in the 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 1500 MHz, 2600 MHz, 3400-3600 MHz and 26 GHz bands for broadband mobile communications, including for the implementation of next generation (5G) systems. This action is aimed at achieving the broadband access targets of the Digital Agenda for Europe and the objectives of the “5G Action Plan for Europe” on the coordinated introduction of 5G services in the Union.

Moreover, the Authority will develop and adopt the action plan and the national timetable for awarding the spectrum use rights in the 470-790 MHz band, and will launch a public consultation with a view to organising auctions for awarding spectrum use rights in the VHF (174-230 MHz) and UHF (470-694 MHz) bands for digital terrestrial broadcasting services (T-DAB and DVB-T2).

This year, the monitoring campaign with a view to assessing involuntary roaming situations in border areas will continue.

Regulations on electronic communications services

By the end of this year, ANCOM will review the costing model for fixed call termination rates. A proposal for reducing mobile termination rates has already been launched for public consultation as a transitional measure until the completion of a new costing model, in line with the principles of the European Commission's Recommendation on termination rates.

In order to increase the competitiveness of access to communications networks, in 2018 ANCOM will review the relevant markets for leased lines-terminating segments and for switched call transit on public telephony networks, will issue a decision regarding the technical requirements on IP interconnection for voice services, and will further develop the platform for measuring the quality of the internet access service Netograf.ro.

Surveillance and control of compliance with the obligations imposed on the providers

Besides the annual campaigns for the assessment of signal coverage and for the surveillance of the efficient use of the frequency spectrum, ANCOM’s action plan contains a control campaign to verify the way in which the providers of publicly available electronic communications services include certain information in the contracts concluded with consumers.

Regulations on postal services

This year, the Authority will assess the need to designate one or several universal service providers, given that the period for which the National Company Romanian Post S.A. has had this quality expires at the end of the year. Another project dedicated to this market regards evaluating the request for the compensation of the 2017 net cost.