While the telecom authority deems these changes as vital to spur competition on the market, telecom operators have balked at the initiative, arguing it is “drastic” and would “distort” the market. At present, the deadline for the transfer of a phone number from one operator to another is 7 days, but can be 10 under certain conditions.
ANCOM representatives said during discussions with operators that the initially set deadline for transfer was too long and that operators complaining the 3-day deadline is too tight should take into consideration that the new EU rules, which Romania has been late to implement, impose a 1-day deadline.
Asked by ZF about the stage of discussions, ANCOM president Catalin Marinescu said that “the date when the 3-day deadline comes into effect will be set by an ANCOM decision, after talks with operators.”
(English version by Catalina Apostoiu; Editing by Radu Bostan)