National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology of the Republic of Moldova

Telephone number portability is the possibility of a subscriber to keep, upon request, his telephone number, when switching from one to another provider of public telephone services.

The implementation of number portability in the Republic of Moldova is stipulated by Law on Electronic Communications, this being considered as one of the efficient measures to ensure the end users’ freedom of choice and to enhance competition on the telephony market. In 2008, after the entry in force of the mentioned Law, ANRCETI created the Working Group for number portability implementation that developed the Number Portability Concept, a document subsequently approved by ANRCETI Order no.33/i of 30.04.2008.

In 2011, ANRCETI developed the Program for number portability implementation in the Republic of Moldova for 2011 – 2013, which subsequently was approved by Order of the Ministry of Information Technology and Communications no.52 of 30.06.2011.

Based on this Program, ANRCETI developed and approved the Regulations on number portability, which provides for the general principles of this process, the rules of porting and routing of calls, the obligations of providers involved in the number porting process, the status of the centralized data base (CDB) and method of selecting the CDB administrator.

In August 2012, ANRCETI launched an international tender, as a result of which the company „MEDIAFON” UAB from Lithuania was designated as winner. The latter created, pursuant to legal procedures, the foreign capital enterprise “NP Base” LLC, which, in September 2012, was designated through ANRCETI Administrative Board Decision no. 38/1 of 12.09.2012 (doc. in state language), as CDB administrator. The mission of the administrator is to organize, operate, administrate and maintain the data base, coordinate and supervise the number porting process, offer the necessary support to providers as regards the porting process.

In October 2012 – February 2013, the CDB administrator and the providers of public fixed and mobile telephone networks/services developed the Technical and Commercial Conditions for the implementation and realization of number portability, a document approved through ANRCETI Administrative Board Decision no.8 of 26.02.2013. The document provides for the technological stages of the number porting process, the obligations of providers and CDB administrator, as regards the implementation of the number porting process, manner and procedure of cost sharing between providers, between providers and CDB administrator, quality parameters for the number porting service.

The number portability in mobile networks is planned to be launched on July 1, 2013, in fixed networks – on July 31, 2013.

Number Portability Regulatory Documents:

  Technical and Commercial Conditions for the implementation of number portability in the Republic of Moldova, approved by ANRCETI Administrative Board Decision no. 8 of 26.02.2013 (doc. in state language);
  Action Plan for number portability implementation in the Republic of Moldova, approved by ANRCETI Administrative Board Decision no. 41 of 11.10.2012 (doc. in state language);
  ANRCETI Administrative Board Decision no. 38/1 of 12.09.2012 regarding designation of the CDB administrator (doc. in state language);
  ANRCETI Administrative Board Decision no. 38 of 15.08.2012 regarding designation of the winner of tender for the selection of CDB administrator (doc. in state language);
  Regulations on Number Portability, approved through ANRCETI Administrative Board Decision no. 34 of 01.12.2011;
 Program for number Portability Implementation in the Republic of Moldova for 2011 - 2013, approved through Order of the Ministry of Information Technology and Communications no. 52 of 30.06.2011.