The regulator will start procedures to make available the 800 MHz and 2,600 MHz bands, currently used by the Defense Ministry, to also auction them off, ANCOM president Catalin Marinescu told a news conference Wednesday.
ANCOM decided to extend until December 31, 2012 Orange and Vodafone’s GSM licenses. The two operators will have to pay EUR6.4 million each.
The new licenses will take effect on January 1, 2013 (for the frequency bands currently used by Orange and Vodafone) and on April 6, 2014 (for the frequency bands currently used by Cosmote), said Marinescu.
Granting the right to use radio frequencies in the 900 MHz and 1,800 MHz bands through competitive selection procedures observes both national and EU regulations on the matter, said Marinescu, adding that the procedure will allow for new competitors to enter the market.
End-November, ANCOM put forward a draft decision proposing that mobile licenses of Orange Romania and Vodafone Romania be extended until April 2014, when the license of mobile operator Cosmote Romania in the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands also expires.
GSM licenses for the 890-915 MHz and 935-960 MHz frequency bands were awarded at the end of 1996 to the companies that currently operate as Orange Romania and Vodafone Romania. They were valid for 15 years and expired on December 21, 2011.
Each of the two mobile operators paid $75 million for the GSM licenses.
Mobile licenses to use the 890-915 MHz, 935-960 MHz, 1710-1785 MHz and 1805-1880 MHz bands were granted at the end of 1998 to the company operating today as Cosmote Romania. The right to use these bands is valid for 15 years and expires on April 5, 2014.
The operator paid $53 million to use these bands.
Orange Romania and Vodafone Romania are leaders on the local mobile telephony market. Together they have about 20 million clients. They are followed by Cosmote Romania, with over 6 million clients.