May 23, 2006. Orange and the National Regulatory Authority for Communications are inaugurating, today, a new telecentre in the village of Moieciu de Sus, in Brasov County. The ceremony of opening the new telecentre assembles ANRC representatives, local authorities, mass media and representatives of the executive committee of Orange Romania.

The telecentre inaugurated today is part of the national programme for the installation of telecentres, in villages deprived of access or having poor access to telephone services, initiated by ANRC in 2004. 28 telecentres have already been installed within this programme and 80 more are to be installed by the end of this year. Moieciu de Sus is the 6th locality in this project where Orange implements communications solutions. By the end of the current month, Orange will have opened two more telecentres, in the village of Fantanele, Dambovita County, and in the village of Serghis, Bihor County, whereas, until the end of this year, the company intends to commission 8 new telecentres in rural localities of Romania. The telecentre in Moieciu is endowed with 2 telephone sets, one multifunctional fax machine and two high-tech computers connected to the Internet. Thus, more than 5000 inhabitants of Moieciu and the neighbouring villages will be able to originate and receive local, long-distance and international calls and fixed-to-mobile calls, will be able to dial the single emergency number – 112 and will have access to Internet and fax services.

On average, the cost of the installation and maintenance of a telecentre for three years, as established following the tenders organised so far, amounts to approximately 10,000 Euro. The costs differ from one locality to another, based on the technology deployed and on the distance to the last relevant point of the designated provider’s network and are covered by ANRC, from the Universal Service Fund.

Orange offers cost-free access to telephone and Internet services today, May 23, for the local users to test the telecentre services. Furthermore, Orange makes available for the Moieciu inhabitants a free e-mail account, telecentru.moieciu@orangenet.ro, and - at the end of the three-year agreement - the equipment in the telecentre will be donated to the Local Council of Moieciu.

The ANRC President, Mr. Dan Cristian Georgescu, declares, “ANRC is committed to connecting all the communities in Romania to telephone and Internet services, because access to communications is essential for personal development, as well as for a community’s evolution. In emergency cases, a telephone call may save lives. Ever since 2004, ANRC has initiated a national project for the installation of telecentres, in collaboration with the communications industry and with the local authorities, having organised tenders for the installation of telecentres in 208 rural localities. In the small villages that still lack access to communications services, ANRC is going to install public pay telephones during the current year".

“Orange is aware of the importance of communication and technology in the development of a community. That is why we have participated, from the very beginning, as ANRC partners in the implementation of telecentres in remote localities throughout Romania, and eventually became the main universal service provider in Romania, in 2005.

In spite of the avian influenza epidemics, 2 engineers of the Technical Division volunteered to stay in the Orange exchange of Dumbravita, a quarantined locality, in order to ensure the ongoing functioning of mobile telephony in South Transylvania during the quarantine. Owing to them, the inhabitants of 7 counties may speak on the mobile telephone”, declares Mr. Daniel Lavina, Technical Manager of Orange Romania.

Orange Romania

Serving more than 7.1 million users, Orange is the leading mobile operator in Romania, as part of the Orange Group, one of the largest communications companies in the world, represented in 17 countries.

By the end of 2005, Orange Romania had achieved a turnover of 870 million EUR and 6.8 million users, pooling the greatest number of subscribers and registering the highest income of all the mobile operators in Romania. In order to be up to its customers’ requirements, Orange established a large network of 28 Orange Shops throughout the country.

Orange Romania offers a wide range of communications services: voice, data, SMS, MMS, wap, e-mail, GPRS, EDGE, wireless IP, WiFi, USSD etc. Orange was the first operator in Romania to provide video services on the mobile telephone, including live-TV.

Orange Romania stands out among the mobile operators in Romania, by the largest coverage in the country and by the excellent quality of the customer service. Orange means eagerness to create a better future and to provide the simplest and the most genuine communication experience. Orange is more than technology, mobile telephony or GSM networks, Orange is a brand created to facilitate communication between people and to add value to the communities in which it operates. Orange Group has a well-defined corporate responsibility strategy aimed at providing a responsible business management in all markets.

ANRC

The National Regulatory Authority for Communications is the independent institution responsible for the implementation of the national electronic communications and postal services policy. By its activity, ANRC aims to accomplish several major objectives: promote competition, protect the best interest of the end-users and encourage effective investments in infrastructure. Read more on the ANRC activity, on www.anrc.ro.