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) issued last year, following providers’ requests, 48 licenses for the use of spectrum in the provision of electronic communications networks and services, which by 92% exceeds the number of licenses granted by ANRCETI in 2014. ANRCETI also updated eight licenses for the extension of the service provision area. These data are provided in an ANRCETI’s report on licenses for the use of scarce resources issued in 2015.

According to the report, the last year’s increase was largely due to the renewal of 27 licenses for UHF (470-694 MHz) for terrestrial analogue TV services, which were due to expire on June 17, 2015, when the transition from analogue to digital TV was due. Thus, on the request of the providers of analog broadcasting services, whose licenses were close to expiry dates, ANRCETI issued new licenses to ensure service continuity (terrestrial TV in analog format), provided that this activity will not produce interference with digital television systems from Moldova and neighboring countries.

Last year, ANRCETI also issued 17 licenses for terrestrial audiovisual broadcasting (for use FM), two licenses for the use of 800 and 900 MHz spectrum for the provision of cell mobile networks and services and two licenses for the use of frequencies/channels in 470-694 MHz band for the operation of the first two national multiplexes (multiplexes A and B) for digital terrestrial television.

The two licenses for the use of 800 and 900 MHz spectrum were issued in December 2015 to Orange Moldova, the winner of the auction of licenses for bands 800, e900, 2100, 2600 and 3400-3800 MHz, conducted by ANRCETI on September 25 – November 23 2015. The licenses are valid through November 5, 2029 and grant the right to use those frequencies in technological neutrality regime. The license fee paid to the state budget by Orange Moldova for the licenses was the equivalent in MDL of 11 million 905,2 euro (252 million 203,8 lei), an amount representing the aggregate value of the license fees, established by a Government.

The other two licenses – for the use of 470-694 MHz spectrum for the operation of national multiplexes A and B – were issued directly to "Radio Communications" enterprise as administrative licenses free of charge, pursuant to the procedure prescribed by the Program on switchover from analogue to digital terrestrial television, approved by Government Decision no. 240 of 08.05.2015. The license for the operation of multiplex A was issued in June 2015 and for the operation of multiplex B – in December 2015. The validity of the two licenses is five years.

In 2015, ANRCETI issued 39 licenses for use of numbering resources in the provision of public electronic communications networks and services. Based on these licenses, ANRCETI assigned to the providers over 433,9 phone numbers. At the beginning of 2016, providers in this market jointly held more than 7,9 million numbers assigned by ANRCETI.

Under the legislation in force, the spectrum and the numbering resources are scarce resources under state ownership and managed by ANRCETI. These resources are allocated by ANRCETI, upon request, to providers, in accordance with the license issuing procedure for spectrum and numbering resources. Providers use these resources for the provision of public electronic communications networks and services.

February 10, 2016