24.11.2015

Between 24 November and 23 December, interested telephony providers may request ANCOM the allocation of the short number for services of social value, harmonised at European level, 116000, available for “Hotlines for Missing Children”. Until 22 October 2015, the company Telekom Romania Communications S.A. held the right of use for this number, the service being provided by The Centre for Missing and Sexually Exploited Children - FOCUS.

The service provided through this number – having the same format in all EU Member States – must be available, on a national level, 24/7, and must take over calls for reporting missing children, which are to be handed over to the police. Moreover, callers to this number that are taking care of a missing child will receive guidance and support. The number 116000 will be available free of charge, to all citizens, without prior registration.

This number can be allocated to only one telephony provider, which must prove its ability to ensure the supply and implementation of the respective service. To this end, the provider must submit, along the request, a set of documents certifying the service provision capacity (e.g., a pre-contract concluded with a social service provider). If ANCOM receives requests from several providers, allocation will be decided based on a score grid assessing the capacity of the provider of harmonised social services to ensure the provision of the services for which the number is allocated, the technical solution used for implementing the number, the potential degree of accessibility of the harmonised social service, as well as the requester’s experience in implementing national short numbers and the number activation term.

EU Member States support the harmonisation of numbering resources within the Community; the interested providers may submit applications with a view to obtaining European grants no later than 12 January 2016. Further details are available on the European Commission’s website - here.

Applications for the numbering licence will be submitted to ANCOM at its headquarters in 2 Delea Noua Street, Sector 3 Bucharest.

Further details are available here (Romanian only).