Mobile operators call for better access rules to fixed networks

Newsroom 31/10/2014 | 13:00

Mobile telecom companies in Romania are pleading with the telecom watchdog ANCOM to regulate the access of mobile operators to fixed networks.

The lack of clear regulations in this sector is causing serious issues, complained the heads of the main telecom companies in Romania during the ZF Digital event, quoted by Mediafax newswire.

“Malta and Romania are the only EU member states that have not regulated the access of mobile operators to fixed communication networks. This unbalance must be tackled. Mobile operators are regulated because during the 2012 telecom license tender we were required to offer national roaming to the other operators. In Romania, one of the operators has over 50 percent market share (…) and is not regulated at all, so that market is very difficult to access,”said Jean-Francois Fallacher, CEO of Orange Romania.

Ravinder Takkar, CEO of Vodafone Romania, also agreed. “We, the mobile operators, are offering access to the other telecom operators, but in our turn, do not have access to fixed networks in the same conditions. We wish the access to fixed networks to be regulated the same as the access to mobile networks is. We are not asking for certain prices, we are requiring the same access conditions,” said Takkar.

Nikolai Beckers, CEO of Telekom Romania, said that “in Romania, we have an unusual situation but when it comes to the regulation of fixed networks, it is as good as on mobile.”

“However, compared to other markets, when it comes to applying other rules, there are many elements that are in a grey legislation area. If the same rules wee applied to all the operators, there would be no issues,”” said Beckers

Telekom Romania paid EUR 14 million on pole taxes, which represents 40 percent of the total sum paid by all the operators.

Otilia Haraga

 

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