Aerial Cables Relocation in Timișoara – A New Approach

On March 19, 2019, we wrote about Timişoara City Hall starting cutting aerial communications cables overnight, affecting several networks and users of communications services, including some educational institutions precisely during the simulation for the Baccalaureate exam and the registration for the preparatory class. Photo: https://www.opiniatimisoarei.ro

ANISP reiterated on that occasion that it supports the development of underground networks and the migration of aerial cables into dedicated subterranean ducts (in urban areas), but also that the migration of communication infrastructure should not be done in a hastily, recklessly, without an action plan which to take into account the real life situation.

We are glad that after the events of March 2019, the Timișoara City Hall chose to collaborate more closely with telecommunication operators in order to avoid service interruptions. Thus, on May 29, 2019 a meeting was held, attended by representatives of the municipality headed by the mayor, officials of the regulatory authority (ANCOM), representatives of telecom operators and of infrastructure companies.

During this session, an action plan agreed with the majority of participants was established. It provides for new actions, terms and conditions (eg. to provide operators with existing underground infrastructure plans, migration of central district cables by 30.06.2019 to the underground infrastructure belonging to operators and to municipality, subject to the existence of necessary capacity; and potential extension of this deadline, should new infrastructure needs being built).

The City Hall also took note that allegations regarding telecommunications operators predominantly having illegal aerial networks are false: there exist construction permits and lease agreements with the infrastructure holders.

We appreciate the openness shown by the local authorities, but we believe that such cooperation should have been considered from start – with multiple benefits for all parties involved: there would have been no interrupted communications services, no unjustified additional costs for operators and the city hall would have seen its objectives achieved faster. We encourage central and local authorities everywhere not to go unilaterally to hasty actions and to show openness, to optimally solve the citizen’s and industry’s problems.