30.05.2017

 

Following a public consultation, ANCOM confirmed to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR) the list of localities that are still not covered with high speed fixed broadband electronic communications networks as of 31 January 2017, situated within the territorial area of the 37 Local Action Groups (LAG) selected by MADR for the implementation of the public intervention measures in the electronic communications sector under the LEADER programme 2014-2020, which is part of the National Rural Development Programme (NRDP) 2014-2020.

The ANCOM public consultation concerned 1,148 localities (villages and towns with a population of maximum 20,000 inhabitants) from the indicated territorial area. 684 of these, totalling 222,004 inhabitants, were not covered with high speed fixed broadband electronic communications networks as of 31 January 2017.

The consultation showed that, in the past two years, 300 localities of the 1,148, with a total of 183,536 inhabitants, entered the area of coverage with high speed broadband communications networks. In addition, in other 149 localities, totalling 47,644 inhabitants, the operators had manifested the intention to install for the first time a high speed fixed broadband electronic communications network, in the next three years. 

List of eligible localities

ANCOM identified eight types of localities, in keeping with four parameters: (1) the existence in the locality of at least one high speed fixed broadband access network, (2) the existence of at least one high speed fixed broadband distribution network, (3) the provision in the locality of at least basic fixed internet access services (with a data transfer speed (download) of minimum 144 Kbps) and (4) the locality’s coverage with 3G+(HSPA)/LTE/LTE Advanced mobile networks.  

Thus, in 68 localities (with a total of 7,382 inhabitants), none of the parameters indicated above was met.

In other 90 localities (with a total of 33,400 inhabitants), only basic fixed internet access services were provided, whereas the rest of the parameters were not fulfilled.

As well, there were 202 localities, totalling 21,588 inhabitants, covered only with 3G+(HSPA)/LTE/LTE Advanced mobile networks, without benefitting from high speed fixed broadband electronic communications networks. 

The list of all the 684 localities that were still not covered with high speed fixed broadband electronic communications networks as of 31 January 2017, alongside information on their type, county and number of inhabitants were published on the ANCOM website, here.

Intervention measures

The 684 localities were in the territorial area of the 37 Local Action Groups (LAG) selected by MADR for the implementation of the public intervention measures in the electronic communications sector under the LEADER programme 2014-2020, part of the National Rural Development Programme (NRDP) 2014-2020. 

Public intervention measures (construction/modernisation of networks) in view of the provision of high speed broadband electronic communications services may be implemented in the localities that are not covered with high speed fixed broadband electronic communications networks.

Additional information

High speed broadband electronic communications networks are those networks which cumulatively meet the following criteria:

a) they are able to support electronic communications services which ensure best effort data transfer speeds (download) of minimum 30 Mbps; 

b) the availability of the electronic communications services provided over these networks at the previously mentioned transfer speeds must be ensured permanently - independently of, for example, the time interval or the volume of the transferred data.  

Moreover, for the electronic communications services provided at mobile locations, it is required to ensure the previously mentioned data transfer speeds both indoor and outdoor; in this case, the previously mentioned data transfer speeds must be ensured where the electronic communications services are provided to subscribers that are only temporarily in the area of interest, as well.