21.11.2018

"5G will unleash a real industrial revolution and an opportunity to reduce development gaps in Romania. Studies show that the implementation of 5G in the Romanian economy will generate revenues of over EUR 4.7 billion, creating more than 250 thousand jobs, and will increase the turnover of smart industries from USD 3.7 billion in 2020 to USD 9 billion in 2026. We aim that all urban centres, modernized motorways and railways, international ports and airports should benefit from 5G coverage, by 2025. Moreover, in order to maximize social and economic benefits, we intend to have 7 pilot projects distributed throughout the country", said ANCOM President Sorin Grindeanu at this year's international conference organised by the Authority.

The Strategy 5G pentru Romania

During ANCOM’s international conference entitled "5G – to Fuel the Fourth Industrial Revolution", The National Strategy for the Implementation of 5G in Romania has been launched for public consultation.

The strategic objectives proposed in the document are the timely launch of services (in 2020) in several representative Romanian cities, chosen by socio-economic criteria, in the context that additional spectrum resources will be made available to operators next year, and catalysing the 5G benefits, by ensuring 5G coverage in all functional urban centres, modernized motorways and railways, international ports and airports and industrial parks across the country. Other objectives include stimulating the deployment of 5G networks, through simplified regulations for building new physical infrastructure, transposing the European Electronic Communications Code, and promoting new uses and fostering cooperation by activating the 5G Alliance, the implementation of European and international technical standards and the harmonized use of radio frequencies in Europe.

For the achievement of these objectives, the 5G Strategy also provides priority action lines i.e. adapting infrastructure to the 5G technology, organizing the auction for awarding the rights of use in the frequency bands that are best suited for first commercial development, reaping the 5G benefits for public safety, and security, by improving the quality of public emergency response services and implementing 7 pilot projects distributed across the country to maximize socio-economic benefits.

The strategy was elaborated within an inter-institutional working group coordinated by the Ministry of Communications and Information Society and ANCOM, which included representatives of the ministries, of public administration institutions and of the national defence, public order and national security system. Representatives of associations of county councils, municipalities, towns and communes also contributed in drafting the document. 

Romanian electronic communications market

According to the preliminary statistical data analysed by ANCOM, as regards mobile telephony, on 30 June 2018, there were 22.2 million users, with a penetration rate of SIM cards per 100 inhabitants of 113.7 %. In the first half of this year, Romanians used 33.2 billion call minutes (3% less than in the previous semester) and sent 6.8 billion SMS (12.5% less than in the previous reporting period). MMS, as well as 3G video traffic, witnessed the same downward trend, decreasing by 12%, respectively by 0.8%.

”Traditional voice and SMS services have already achieved their growth potential, and are increasingly replaced by instant messaging and voice services, by Internet 2.0. High-speed internet connections have reached 85% of all the internet connections. Counting by number of inhabitants, mobile internet traffic increased by approximately 45% in the first half of 2018, up to 2.3 GB/month. In order to continue such growth rates in the long run, on mobile internet, we need 5G. This is also a perfect opportunity for the leap in competitiveness by engendering new business models and innovative uses, in communications as well as in other sectors”, declared Eduard LOVIN, vice-president of ANCOM, during the second session, dedicated to innovators.

Awarding spectrum resources that are best suited for 5G in Romania

"In next year's spectrum auction, we will make available 605 MHz for the timely implementation of new 5G technologies in Romania. Currently, Romanian communications operators use a total amount of spectrum of 770 MHz; nevertheless, in providing speeds up to 20 times higher than 4G ones, more spectrum is needed," said Bogdan IANA, Vice President of ANCOM, during a session dedicated to Romanian operators.

ANCOM’s International Conference

The Conference brought together policy makers, representatives of regulatory authorities, content providers and innovators, network operators, equipment manufacturers and academia, during three interactive and exciting sessions. The first session was dedicated to the regulatory political and regulatory framework in Romania, with a focus on actions and examples of good practice adopted at European and international level for the successful carrying out of the 5G vision.

Showcase was also organized during the event, where the equipment manufacturers presented the first prototypes of 5G-enabled equipment, such as 5G transmission equipment or Virtual Reality headsets.

Public consultation

The Strategy 5G for Romania is available for consultation, in Romanian, here. The interested persons are invited to submit their comments and suggestions, by 21.12.2018, at the ANCOM headquarters (2 Delea Noua Street, Bucharest 3), directly to the ANCOM Registry Office or by means of the ANCOM regional divisions. Comments may also be sent by fax to +40 372 845 402 or by e-mail to consultare@ancom.org.ro.