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The Strategy for the use of the 3.4 – 3.8 GHz band has been adopted
16.04.2015
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The Romanian Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) agreed in the Consultative Council of 16 April 2015 on the Strategy for the Implementation and Development of BWA systems at a national level, in the 3400-3800 MHz band, for the period 2015-2025, as well as on the amendments to the authorisation procedure for the provision of audiovisual programme services.
The Strategy document provides organising a competitive selection procedure in 2015, by which ANCOM is to grant new rights for the use of the radio spectrum in the 3410-3600 MHz and 3600-3800 MHz bands for providing public broadband electronic communications networks and services on a national level. The Authority will organise one selection procedure for the both frequency bands, with the new usage rights entering into force from 1 January 2016, for a 10-year period (until 31 December 2025). The winners will  be able to use these bands for the provision of data transmission and internet access services by means of Broadband Wireless Access (BWA).
Following the auction, 16 paired blocks (2x5 MHz) in the 3.5 GHz band and 36 unpaired 5 MHz blocks in the 3.7 GHz band will be awarded on the national level.
The Authority will launch for public consultation the auction documentation to include the decision on adopting the rules for the selection procedure and the terms of reference, as well as the draft Government Decision establishing the licence fee.
Currently, there are seven licences in force in the 3410-3600 MHz band, held by 2K Telecom, Orange România, UPC România şi Vodafone România. All of them have been issued for the provision of public electronic communications networks and services at 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 Broadcasting Company, for the provision of public electronic communications networks and services by means of BWA applications at a national level.
The participants in this Consultative Council also adopted the draft decision for amending and completing the Decision of the president of the National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications no. 629/2010 on the procedure of authorising the provision of audio-visual programme services. By this decision, the Authority clarifies the conditions for the issuance, amendment and extension of the transmission licence and of the licence for the use of the radio spectrum in digital terrestrial system, including the technical authorisation and the frequency assignment authorisation. Thus, where a provider’s licence is amended following the modification of the respective provider’s identification data, ANCOM will consequently update, within 15 days, the provider’s technical authorisation. Moreover, the term for conducting the technical verifications for the issuance of a technical authorization shall run from the date of the holder’s submitting the complete documentation, while the deadline for submitting requests for the extension of a transmission licence validity will be 45 calendar days. Furthermore, the Authority proposes a new approach on amending and extending the rights of use, meant to smoothen the issuance of these administrative documents.
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The two decisions will be sent for publication in the Romanian Official Journal and will enter into force on the publishing date.
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