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

The National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology (ANRCETI – www.anrceti.md) has placed on its Internet page, for public consultations, the draft Administrative Board Decision on identification of another relevant market – the market for voice call termination in individual mobile telephone networks. The consultation will last for till April 20, 2010, this being the deadline for recommendations on the document.

The draft document was developed pursuant to Art 51 of the Law on Electronic Communications, and is based on the Analysis (doc. in state language) of the market for voice call termination in individual mobile telephone networks and pursuant to the Regulations on identification and analysis of relevant markets in the field of electronic communications and designation of providers with significant market power on those markets. The Analysis was performed in consultation of foreign experts working within the EBRD technical assistance project, offered to ANRCETI.

According to the Explanatory Note (doc. in state language) to the draft document, three markets were analyzed in terms of call termination in individual mobile telephone networks, those of „Orange-Moldova”, „Moldcell” and „Moldtelecom”. This market comprises transmission of calls from the interconnection point to the terminal network point (destination subscriber’s or termination location).

Following this analysis, it was found there are barriers to market entry for alternative providers given the lack of effective competition and that the Law on Protection of Competition are not sufficient to prevent or redress the situation. The Agency has concluded that market regulation is susceptible to ex-ante regulation.

After approving the draft decision, the Agency will conduct the full analysis of the market of voice call termination on individual mobile networks to determine the providers with significant power on it and to establish special preventive obligations to be imposed on those providers.

The market of voice call termination on individual mobile networks is the third market on the list of 10 markets defined by the Agency to be analyzed for the identification of markets susceptible to ex-ante regulation by the regulator.

Interested persons are welcome to sent commentaries and recommendations on the three draft decisions under consultation to: office@anrceti.md. Telephone: 251-337.

April 1, 2010