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Licence Fees for the 3.4-3.8 GHz Band, under Public Consultation

08.07.2015

 
The Romanian National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) launches today, for public consultation, the draft Government decision establishing the minimum licence fee and the payment conditions for the 3410-3800 MHz band. The decision proposes a minimum amount of the licence fee for the paired 2x5 MHz blocks awarded on a national level in the 3.4-3.6 GHz band of EUR 370,000, whereas for the unpaired 5 MHz blocks awarded on a national level in the 3.6-3.8 GHz band – of EUR 185,000.
The minimum licence fee is the reserve price for each of the frequency blocks under the competitive selection procedure to be organised by ANCOM.
16 paired 2x5 MHz blocks will be available in the selection procedure, on a national level, in the 3.4-3.6 GHz band, and 36 unpaired 5 MHz blocks will be available for awarding on a national level, in the 3.6-3.8 GHz band. The new usage rights will enter into force on 1 January 2016, for a 10-year period. The winners of the selection procedure will have the right to use these frequencies for the countrywide provision of publicly available electronic communications networks and broadband data transmission and internet access services.
The Authority will organise only one selection procedure for both frequency bands – which requires that an interested operator should submit an initial bid indicating the number of frequency blocks it intends to purchase in each of the two available bands. The initial bids will show whether the demand exceeds the offer in certain bands, whether the offer exceeds the demand or whether the demand equals the offer. Based on the demand, ANCOM will organise primary auction rounds and an allotment round, in order to establish the position, within each of the bands, of the frequency blocks won by each bidder.
Currently, there are seven licences in force in the 3410-3600 MHz band, held by Orange România, UPC România, Vodafone România and 2K Telecom. All of them have been issued for the provision of public electronic communications networks and services on a national level, by means of Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and Nomadic Wireless Access (NWA) applications. There is one licence awarded in the 3600-3800 MHz band, to the National Company “Radiocomunicaţii”, for the provision of public electronic communications networks and services by means of Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) applications on a national level. The eight licences are valid until 31 December 2015.
The draft Government Decision on establishing the minimum licence fee for awarding the rights of use of the radio frequencies in the 3410-3800 MHz band and the payment conditions thereforis available for consultation, in Romanian, here. The interested persons are invited to send their opinions and suggestions, by 06.08.2015, to the ANCOM headquarters at 2, Delea Nouă Street, Bucharest 3, or directly to the ANCOM Registry Office or by means of the Authority’s regional offices. Comments may also be sent by fax to +40.372.845.402 or by e-mail to consultare@ancom.org.ro.