The regulator targets increased penetration of broadband mobile communication services and the new licenses are expected to reduce the digital lag between Romania’s urban and rural areas, ANCOM head Catalin Marinescu told a news conference Monday.
He estimated the price of one license will be below EUR3 million but said the final price will be set following consultations with the communications industry.
Romania currently has seven providers operating in the 3,410 – 3,600 MHz (3.5 GHz) bands, of which five have national licenses (Orange Romania, Vodafone Romania, UPC Romania, Idilis and AccessNet) and two have local licenses for radio data transmission through fixed wireless access (FWA) networks, while a single provider, Romania’s National Radiocommunications Company, operates in the 3,600 – 3,800 MHz (3.7 GHz) bands and has a national license for broadband wireless access (BWA), according to the regulator.
All licenses are set to expire at the end of September 2013, except for local licenses for the 3,410 – 3,600 MHz bands, which expire in June 2011, August 2011, January 2015 and December 2015, and the license for the 3,600 – 3,800 MHz bands, which is set to expire in July 2011.
The telecoms regulator plans to start a comparative selection process in 2012 for three national licenses in the 3,400 – 3,600 MHz bands and four national licenses in the 3,600 – 3,800 MHz bands, and has put up for public consultations a document setting the license awarding conditions.
The comparative selection procedure will include two stages: one during which bidders are expected to send letters of intent and the proper selection, which will occur if the number of bidders is higher than the number of licenses available. If the number of bidders is lower or equal to the number of licenses available, licenses wile b awarded directly.
Local licenses will be awarded in 2014, when the telecoms regulator uses the comparative selection procedure to award three licenses for the use of public radio frequencies and broadband electronic communications to each county.
National licenses will be awarded for a ten-year period, while local licenses will be awarded for an eight-year period.
ANCOM expects observations and proposals regarding its strategy by July 14.