“The European Commission insists on shifting from analogue television to digital television. The transition will make available the frequencies needed to implement the LTE technology,” according to Marinescu.
In 2012, Romania will be ready to hold the first 2.6 GHz LTE frequency auctions, Marinescu said, adding he hopes auctions will end by the end of 2012 so Romania will implement the technology in 2013.
Early October, Marinescu told MEDIAFAX that ANCOM plans to auction off four 4G communication licenses through a competitive selection procedure in the second half of 2012.
“The auction specifications will state a starting price for the auction, determined according to the Romanian telecom market’s situation. The final price of a 4G license will be set through the competitive selection process. The licenses will be for frequency bands 800-900 MHz and 2.6 GHz,” Marinescu said at that time.
ANCOM has already awarded the first experimental license for the testing of 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) communication services to Orange Romania and Alcatel- Lucent Romania. The 4G frequency bands are currently occupied, but the regulator is in advanced talks with the Ministry of Interior to free up the spectrum.
4G technology will allow data transfer at speeds of up to 100 MB/s. By comparison, the local mobile operators’ current networks allow speeds of up to 21.6 MB/s.
Thanks to the higher transfer speed, operators will be able to provide high-definition video streaming services, HD video surveillance, HD videoconferences, online games, broadband Internet access and media portal applications. The technology will also allow operators to cope with the rising mobile data traffic and lower their operational costs. In 2010, the number of mobile broadband users exceeded that of landline users.