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

On February 21, 2017, The National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology (ANRCETI) launched public consultation on the draft (.doc, .pdf) analysis of the market for voice call termination in individual fixed telephone networks (Market 3) and the draft decisions of ANRCETI Administrative Board on preventive measures to regulate this market. The deadline for submitting recommendations on the documents presented for consultation is March 21, 2017.

The documents were developed under the fourth round of relevant market analysis, carried out in accordance with the provisions of art. 53 (1) of the Law on Electronic Communications, providing that ANRCETI performs market analysis at least every two years, in order to ascertain whether the relevant markets are effectively competitive and revises, as appropriate, the preventive regulatory measures in terms of maintaining, changing or withdrawing the obligations previously imposed on providers designated as having significant market power on those markets.

According to the Explanatory Note to the documents, as a result of the analysis, ANRCETI found that Market 3 is still susceptible to ex-ante regulation and all fixed telephony providers currently operating (20 providers) have significant market power for termination of voice calls on individual fixed networks and are to be appointed by ANRCETI Administrative Board as providers with significant market power. ANRCETI considers necessary to maintain the ex-ante obligations previously imposed on the 20 providers with significant market power on Market 3, including the application of LRIC-oriented (long-term incremental cost) maximum rates for the termination of national calls on their individual fixed networks and related services.

ANRCETI proposes to maintain the ex-ante obligations previously imposed on the 20 providers with significant market power on Market 3 and approve a new maximum price that can be charged by the offering provider for the provision of national call termination service in his own fixed network as 0.00225 EUR/min (without VAT). ANRCETI’s arguments on the revision of the current maximum rate for call termination are stated in the Study on comparable competitive markets in terms of prices for call termination on fixed networks. This Study was conducted to identify the average LRIC costs established by various EU regulatory authorities based on BU-LRIC models.

To mitigate the impact of the reduction of maximum prices for call termination on fixed networks on providers of fixed telephony, ANRCETI proposes gradual reduction of this price in five stages half a year each, starting 01.07.2017.

Interested stakeholders are invited to submit comments and recommendations on consulted draft documents, by postal service, to ANRCETI Address: 134, Stefan cel Mare bd., MD-2012, Chisinau mun., by fax: 022-222-885 or by e-mail: office@anrceti.md. Contacts pnone numbers: 022 251 320, 022 251 334.

February 21, 2017