Romania Permits 3G Services in the GSM Spectrum Bands

Romania's telecoms regulator, ANCOM has approved the use of 3G services in the traditional GSM 900 MHz and 1800 MHz frequency bands.

The provision of 3G services in these bands will be possible as soon as the operators' licences are amended, in compliance with the following obligations: continuity in providing the 2G services (i.e. voice), protection of the GSM systems that will further operate in the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands, as well as protection of the radiocommunications systems existing in the adjacent bands.

As soon as this decision becomes effective, in Romania there will be three active mobile telephony providers, holders of GSM licences, that will also be able to provide 3G services based on these licences (i.e. Orange Romania, Vodafone Romania and Cosmote).

"This measure comes as a result of the regulatory authority's declared intention to promote the development of broadband electronic communications in Romania. Together with the CDMA licence granted by ANCOM in 2008 and the future review of the local loop usage regime, the liberalisation of the frequency spectrum in the 900 and 1800 MHz bands could contribute to increasing the penetration of broadband Internet access", Catalin Marinescu, the President of ANCOM, stated.