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ANCOM Launches Invitation to Participate in Spectrum Auction
02.07.2012
Today, 2 July 2012, ANCOM published the official notice on the organisation and putting to sale of the Terms of Reference for the competitive selection procedure held in view of awarding radio frequency usage rights in the 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz bands for the provision of mobile communications services in the 2013-2029 timeframe.
The persons interested in participating in the auction may submit their application file and their participation bond by 13 August 2012. The auction commission will examine the submitted qualification documents and will announce the candidates that qualify for the next stage by 20 August 2012, so as to be able to start holding the auction on 10 September 2012. The auction procedure will be open, ascendant, multi-bands and multi-rounds, and its duration depends on the number of bidding rounds to take place. ANCOM estimates that the final results are to be announced in October.
The application file must comprise documents attesting the candidate’s situation, proving, among others, the fulfilment of the obligations to the state budget, to the social insurance budgets and special tax funds, and also that the respective candidate meets the participation requirements. Thus, the candidate must be able to prove an average turnover of minimum EUR 10 million for the last 3 years, must not be in a state of insolvency or liquidation, its business must not be managed by a syndic judge, its commercial activities must not be suspended, the candidate may not be a member of another candidate’s group a.s.o. The application file will also include the initial bid which is to indicate the number of blocks which the candidate wishes to acquire in each of the available spectrum categories.
Two types of licences will be awarded under the auction: long-term licences (15 years, valid until April 2029) and short-term licences (1 year and three months, valid until April 2014). For the long-term licences, ANCOM will auction out 42 paired blocks of 5 MHz each, 6 of which in the 800 MHz band, 7 in the 900 MHz band, 15 in the 1800 MHz band and 14 in the 2600 MHz band, as well as 3 unpaired blocks of 15 MHz each in the 2600 MHz band. These licences will be awarded starting 6 April 2014. With regard to the licences to be awarded for a shorter period, ANCOM will auction out 10 paired blocks of 2.5 MHz in the 900 MHz band and 6 paired blocks of 5 MHz in the 1800 MHz band, resources which are currently used by Orange and Vodafone.
ANCOM presented in detail in the Terms of Reference the minimum coverage requirements which range in keeping with the bands won, the previous existence on the Romanian market and granting of access for the mobile virtual network operators (MVNO). Furthermore, ANCOM imposed different minimum coverage requirements depending on the voice and Internet services to be offered by means of the obtained spectrum, as well as national roaming temporary obligations in the existing GSM and IMT-2000/UMTS networks, for the network providers with a coverage exceeding 30% of the population. In order to encourage the emergence of mobile virtual network operators, ANCOM provided incentives for the bidders that will allow the access to their networks for the MVNOs, as well as the reduction of the participation bond and the awarding of more generous terms for the fulfilment of the coverage obligations.
The Terms of Reference may be purchased starting today, 2 July 2012, every day from Monday to Thursday between 09.00 and 16.00 hours, and Friday between 09.00 - 14.00 hours, from the ANCOM headquarters in 2 Delea Noua Street, Bucharest, Sector 3 or, upon the request of the interested persons, transmitted on hardcopy or in electronic format, based on the submission by the interested person of the supporting document which certifies the payment of a non-refundable amount of RON 4500 lei, standing for the countervalue of the Terms of Reference, in original, or of the power-of-attorney of the person delegated to take the Terms of Reference. Only the persons who purchased the Terms of Reference may submit a bid in the auction.
The deadline set for submitting the application file and the initial bid is 13 August 2012, 17:00 hours.
The auction notice and the documentation for the organisation of the competitive selection procedure in view of awarding radio frequency usage rights in the 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz bandsare available here.
ANCOM a amendat Romtelecom cu 200.000 de lei
04.07.2012
ANCOM a amendat compania S.C. ROMTELECOM S.A.cu suma de 200.000 lei pentru că nu a respectat în totalitate obligaţiile prevăzute în licenţa de comunicaţii mobile pentru benzile de frecvenţe 410-415/420-425 MHz. Conform obligaţiilor asumate de operator, până la încheierea primei faze acesta ar fi trebuit să instaleze şi să opereze 1.242 de staţii de bază, însă în urma controalelor ANCOM s-a constatat că doar 788 dintre acestea sunt instalate.
Romtelecom a obţinut această licenţă în anul 2008, pentru o perioadă de 10 ani, în urma unei licitaţii publice deschise de tip comparativ - procedură în care ofertanţii sunt evaluaţi în funcţie de dosar şi oferta tehnică. Romtelecom a câştigat această licenţă ca urmare a obţinerii celui mai bun punctaj, în urma evaluării unor criterii precum capacitatea financiară, fezabilitatea comercială, specializarea, experienţa şi, nu în ultimul rând, fezabilitatea tehnică şi acoperirea asumată. Taxa de licenţă achitată de operator către bugetul de stat a fost de un milion de euro. Licenţa este valabilă până la data de 23 septembrie 2018.
În urma acţiunilor de control demarate de ANCOM, s-a constat faptul că operatorul nu şi-a respectat angajamentul asumat la obţinerea licenţei.
Conform licenţei, până la data de 31 decembrie 2013, reţeaua de comunicaţii mobile în bandă largă dezvoltată de Romtelecom în benzile de frecvenţe de 410-415/420-425 MHz trebuie să fie compusă din 1.292 de staţii de bază, aşa cum sunt acestea definite de „Radio Regulations”, documentul oficial al Uniunii Internaţionale a Telecomunicaţiilor.
„ANCOM trebuie să se asigure că spectrul de frecvenţe radio, o resursă limitată a statului român, este utilizat cu maximă eficienţă. Licenţele de utilizare a frecvenţelor radio se acordă în anumite condiţii tocmai pentru ca atât operatorii, cât şi utilizatorii să obţină maximum de beneficii prin exploatarea acestora. De aceea, monitorizarea modului în care operatorul remediază neregulile constatate şi modul în care îşi respectă restul obligaţiilor asumate va rămâne o prioritate a Autorităţii şi în perioada următoare”, a declarat Cristin Popa, Directorul Direcţiei Executive Monitorizare şi Control din cadrul ANCOM.