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

In 2018, 18 entrepreneurs obtained, under the general authorization regime, the right to provide publicly available communications networks and/or services and 2 applicants - the right to provide postal services. According to the data available with the National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology (ANRCETI), at the end of last year, the total number of businesses included in the Public Registry of electronic communications network and service providers reached 492, while the number of those included in the Public Registry of postal service providers - 39.

15 of the total number of entrants to the electronic communications market chose to provide publicly available electronic communications networks and services, 2 - chose to provide only networks and 1 - only services. The most requested activities were provision of terrestrial public access networks at fixed locations, Internet access services and audiovisual programs retransmission services.

According to ANRCETI data, 363 providers of the total of 492 included in the Public Registry of electronic communications network and service providers before December 31, 2018, have the right to provide both electronic communications networks and services, 58 - only networks and 71 - only services. At the same time, 75 providers gave up provision of publicly available electronic communications networks and services for various reasons and were subsequently deleted from the Public Registry.

The two entrants to the postal market chose to provide services both within and outside the scope of the universal postal service. 26 of the 39 providers registered in the Public Register of Postal Service Providers, have the right to provide both services within the scope of universal service and beyond that scope and 13 - only services outside the scope of the universal postal service. At the same time, 4 providers decided to stop their activity and be removed from the Public Registry of postal service providers.

ANRCETI has applied the general authorization regime for electronic communications activities since 2008 and for postal services - since 2016. This regime consists in the fact that the entrepreneur intending to provide electronic communications networks and/or services or postal services has to notify ANRCETI of this intention and start operation. ANRCETI issues a standard informative declaration/certificate that confirms the receipt of notification and the stakeholder’s registration in the Registry, as well as the conditions of the general authorization that establish the provider’s rights and obligations. The general authorization procedure is free of charge and the right to provide electronic communications networks and/or services or postal services is granted for an unlimited timeframe.

January 17, 2019