15.12.2022

The National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) has published for consultation its draft Action Plan for the year 2023. Next year's main projects concern the technical and economic regulatory framework for electronic communications services and the further updating of the secondary legislation on the administration and management of numbering and spectrum resources and the information of their end-users, in accordance with Law no. 198/2022, which ensures the transposition of the European Electronic Communications Code.

Strategic planning

During 2023, ANCOM intends to 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 in 2021 and 2022.

Regulations in the field of electronic communications services

The main projects in this sector are: updating the decision on the collection of statistical data and the general authorisation regime for the provision of electronic communications networks and services, and reviewing the fixed and mobile call termination market and the market for local access services at fixed locations, to name but a few.

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.

Increasing both the users’ and the providers’ level of information is among ANCOM’s concerns in 2023, as well. The Authority 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 network 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 has proposed to review the provisions of Decision no. 353/2015 on the procedure for awarding frequency usage rights, in order to transpose into secondary legislation the provisions of the national legislative framework.

Moreover, ANCOM has planned to issue a decision on the approval of the National Table of Frequency Bands’ Allocation (NTFA), as well as to update the RO-IR radio interfaces of Decision no. 311/2016 on radio frequencies or radio frequency bands exempted from the licensing regime.

The Authority will also review the secondary regulations on the administration and management of numbering resources, with a view to bringing them in line with the primary legislation transposing into national law the Directive establishing the European Electronic Communications Code.

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 plans to 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 aim at monitoring the application of Regulation No 2018/644 on the delivery of cross-border parcels 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 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.

Public consultation process

The ANCOM action plan proposed for 2023 is available, in Romanian, here. The interested persons are invited to submit comments and proposals by 20.01.2023. Comments and proposals may be submitted at the ANCOM headquarters (2 Delea Nouă Street, Sector 3, Bucharest), using the Online Registry or by the Authority's regional divisions. Comments can also be sent by fax to +40 372 845 402 or by e-mail to consultare@ancom.ro.