23.02.2023

The National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) has adopted its Action Plan for 2023, submitted to public consultation in December 2022. The main projects concern the review of the fixed and mobile call termination markets, the market for local access provided at a fixed location, as well as updating of the technical and economic regulatory framework for electronic communications services, in accordance with Law no. 198/2022, which ensures the transposition of the European Electronic Communications Code. The final form of the 2023 Action Plan is available here.

Regulations in the field of electronic communications services

Reviewing the fixed and mobile call termination market and the market for local access services at fixed locations, updating the decision on the collection of statistical data and the general authorisation regime for the provision of electronic communications networks and services are some of the projects that concern this sector in 2023.

The Authority will continue the implementation of the provisions of the Infrastructure Law, by setting the indicative tariffs for access to some physical road infrastructures.

To increase both the users’ and the providers’ level of information, ANCOM will publish a list of areas without functional broadband Internet access services provided through a fixed connection, as well as a survey on determining the territorial coverage area of fixed public electronic communications networks capable of providing broadband electronic communications services.

In the context of the Agreement signed on 11 February 2022 regarding the reduction of tariffs for the provision of international roaming services and international calls between Romania and the Republic of Moldova, ANCOM will produce a joint report on the progress achieved in 2022, together with the fellow regulator in the neighboring country.

Management and administration of spectrum and numbering resources

The Authority will review the provisions of Decision no. 353/2015 on the procedure for awarding frequency usage rights, in order to transpose into the secondary legislation the provisions of the national legislative framework.

Moreover, ANCOM will issue a decision on the approval of the updated version of the National Table of Frequency Bands’ Allocation (NTFA) and will update the RO-IR radio interfaces in Decision no. 311/2016 on radio frequencies or radio frequency bands exempted from the licensing regime.

Security and quality of electronic communications networks and services

Taking into account the changes in the primary legal framework, the technological advancements and the national and European context, ANCOM will review and update the secondary legislation in the field of security of electronic communications networks and services. Thus, the provisions of the decision on setting the minimum security measures to be taken by the providers of public electronic communications networks or of publicly available electronic communications services and on the reporting of incidents with a significant impact on the provision of electronic communications networks and services will be updated.

Postal services regulations

The Authority will monitor the application of Regulation No 2018/644 on cross-border parcel delivery by collecting and checking statistical data and information transmitted by the postal operators. These data are then transmitted to the European Commission and made available to the interested parties through the application enabling the calculation of the costs for sending a package to and from any country in the European Union.

Other projects targeting the postal services market concern reviewing the general authorisation regime for the provision of postal services, preparing a survey on the implementation of self-service for the delivery of postal items, a report on the quality of parcel services and the impact of e-commerce on the postal services market during 2021, as well as the report on statistical indicators in the postal sector.

Strategic planning

During 2023, ANCOM will develop the regulatory strategy in the field of electronic communications for 2026 and the regulatory strategy in the field of postal services for 2025. The strategic planning of regulatory activities in the field of electronic communications has become feasible as soon as the legislative reform and the competitive dynamics stood on solid ground, which was provided, among others, by the spectrum auctions held in 2021 and 2022.