22.09.2017

 

The National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) has launched a public consultation on granting third parties’ access to certain information in the centralized database (CDB) used to ensure the number portability service.

The CDB, administrated by ANCOM, contains information on all the ported phone numbers, on the porting transactions processed and a complete set of data on the routing to ported numbers.

The consultation is addressed both to the electronic communications providers that currently have access to the CDB, but also to the entities potentially interested in acquiring access to the CDB as a third party and it comes in the context of the constant increase in the number of porting telephone numbers and of the innovative adjacent services development, but also following the Recommendation of the Electronic Communications Committee (ECC) of the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT).

Who has access to the CDB currently?

Currently, the CDB may be accessed by the providers of publicly available electronic communications services that hold numbering blocks from the National Numbering Plan (NNP) and by the providers of public electronic communications networks that have obligations on routing calls to ported numbers.

By means of the CDB, the providers exchange information during the porting processes, this database being also a reference for updating the routing information associated with the numbers ported in the providers’ IT systems. Depending on providers’ role in the porting processes, access is limited to certain types of information.

Who could request access to the CDB

Through this consultation ANCOM is analysing the opportunity of granting access to the CDB to the interested third parties, the latter being in fact entities that do not have - in Romania - the legal obligation to offer their own subscribers the number portability service or to route calls to the networks where the numbers are ported. Such third parties are international carriers, i.e. electronic communication services providers that ensure call routing on an international level, SMS providers, VoIP/OTT providers or companies that originate a large number of calls. Similarly to the providers of electronic communications services, the third parties’ access to the CDB will be limited.

Usefulness of access to the CDB

In the implementation of number portability, electronic communications networks underwent changes, therefore subscriber numbers are no longer sufficient for routing calls and SMS and further information is required from the centralized database. Operators need to know both the ported numbers and their corresponding routing numbers, indicating the network where they are active so that calls or text messages to ported numbers could be routed to the correct destination.

Given the continuous growth in the number of ported numbers and the technological development that led to the emergence of innovative adjacent services, further market players interested in the numbers being portedand the related routing information (available in the CDB) appear.

Moreover, granting access to third parties - on a contractual basis and subject to certain limitations - is subject to a recommendation of the Electronic Communications Committee (ECC) of the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT).

Public consultation process

The document on granting third parties’ access to certain information on the ported numbers is available – in Romanian – here. The interested persons are invited to submit comments and suggestions, by 27.10.2017, at the ANCOM headquarters in 2 Delea Noua Street, Bucharest 3, directly to the ANCOM Registry Office or by means of the Authority’s Regional Divisions. Comments may also be sent by fax to +40 372 845 402 or by e-mail to consultare@ancom.org.ro.