200 telecentres installed so far, namely 1/3 of the total of 600 isolated communities in the rural area where ANRCTI planned to ensure access to telephony and Internet services by means of the national programme for the installation of telecentres. Approximately 200,000 people whose life changed completely due to ANRCTI inititative, people that are now able to communicate easier with their relatives and friends from abroad, who have access to information and to whom the world seems closer. More than 15,000 children will broaden their horizon, can have access to knowledge, can be informed.

The 200^th telecentre was installed in Valea Lupsii, marking one third of the entire national programme for the installation of telecentres initiated by ANRCTI. On July 18, 2007,  Dan Georgescu, President of the National Regulatory Authority for Communications and Information Technology, together with Amalia Fodor, PR Manager Orange Romania, were present at Lupsa to celebrate together with the inhabitants this special moment, as well as to present and test the telephony and Internet services offered by the telecentre which Orange Romania installed.

 “The launch of the telecentre in Valea Lupsii -  the 200^th one -  marks a moment that is particularly important for us. We managed to cover 1/3 of the programme ANRCTI initiated in 2004. We would have not been able to reach this point by ourselves, that is why we must not forget the operators which installed the 200 telecentres, on the one hand, and the local administrations, which have proved to be very receptive at our initiative, on the other hand.  We take this opportunity and thank Orange Romania for the telecentre it has installed in Valea Lupsii, for the other 21 telecentres installed so far, as well as for the other 32 it will install in the near future. And we thank you all, because you are open to knowledge, thus proving the importance that communications have in the development of each person”, Dan Georgescu, the President of ANRCTI, declared.

“Access to information and communication beyond the geographic and administrative barriers is essential for the communities’ development from economic, social and cultural viewpoint. In its ten years of activity in the Romanian market, Orange has developed several useful programmes for the community and will further contribute to increasing the inhabitants’ access to the communications services”, Amalia Fodor, PR Manager Orange Romania, stated.

The 200 telecentres installed so far are examples of good practice, proving the interest people have for knowledge and development and highlighting the benefices the telecentres bring in the communities’ development. In Susani, Valcea county, a villager sold his goat flock on the Internet; in the same county, in Mologesti, most of the classes are held in the telecentre and the mayor decided that the Internet access be free of charge; in Fantanele, Dambovita county, two more PCs were added and the villagers proposed to use the telecentre as the nique office for paying the utilities (water, electricity, radio-TV tax, bank rate). These are only few examples, but each community has succeeded to use efficiently the facilities offered by the telecentre and be connected to the world.

The telecentre launched today is part of the national programme for installation of telecentres in villages with limited access or without access to telephony services, initiated by ANRCTI in 2004. So far, ANRCTI has organized 5 tenders for the installation of telecentres in 331 localities. On June 1, 2007, was launched the sixth tender for the installation of telecentres in 131 localities and the seventh tender is to be launched for the purpose of installing telecentres in other 139 localities. Out of the 14 telecentres afferent to Alba county, 5 are already functional. The remaining telecentres are to become functional by end-2007.