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

In 2011, telephone codes and numbers will be assigned by the National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology (ANRCETI – www.anrceti.md) to providers of public fixed and mobile telephone networks and services, following the latter’s request, pursuant to the provisions of the Procedure for telephone Numbering Resource Administration. The new regulatory document was approved by Administrative Board Decision no. 58 of December 21, 2010 and will enter in force on January 1, 2011.

This Procedure will be applied to all categories of codes and numbers from the National Numbering Plan (NNP), except short national numbers for emergency services and for other services harmonised at European level, which will be assigned and used pursuant to special regulations to be developed by ANRCETI.

By adopting this act, the Agency extended, in accordance with the provisions of the NNP, the range of services offered via telephone numbers from series „7”, „8” and „9.” Thus, the numbers from „71x xxxxx” number block, (where x = 0...9), will be assigned to providers of MVN (Mobile Virtual Networks), whereas the ones from „814 xxxxx” number block – for the auto transportation directory services, inluding taxi, railway transport, air transport, medical services. Currently these services are provided via local short numbers „14xx”. The numbers from the „905 xxxxx” block will be assigned for content services: general information, business information, marketing, etc., whereas the numbers from the „906 xxxxx” block – for adult entertainment services.

For the first time, the Agency will offer the providers of transportation directory services the possibility to choose local short numbers „14xx” or numbers from the „814 xxxxx” block. Experts in this field consider that the use of numbers from the „814 xxxxx” number block for these services is more advantageous than the local short ones „14xx”. The short local numbers are used within one geographical zone (district or municipality), whereas from other geographical zones these numbers are dialed via prefix „0” and the code of the corresponding geographical zone. Numbers from the „814 xxxxx” will be used on the entire territory of the country, whereas the calls to these numbers will be made through prefix „0” from any locality or telephone network. The given number format meets the requirements and best practices for such type of numbers common in the EU countries.

According to the procedure of administration of telephone numbering resources, ANRCETI assigns these numbers by issuing licences to providers of public electronic communications networks and services, authorised under the law. The latter re-assign those resources, except short national codes, to end users/their subscribers, providers of content services or use them for providing their own content services, according to the destination and in the format as provided by the NNP.

The validity term of licenses for the use of numbering resources is 10 years, except the cases when these are required for a shorter term and when these are issued to license holders authorised to use radio frequencies and channels, for which the validity term is 15 years.

December 24, 2010