Based on a study published by the Internet Society, the Internet Development Association (Internet Society – Romania Chapter) together with the Interlan Association and the National Association of Internet Service Providers in Romania (ANISP) are pleased to invite you to the event “May Romanian Telecom market trend be reversed?” – dedicated to the analysis of the communications market in Romania. The study estimates that the Romanian market is characterized by a weak level of competition (we quote: “Poor market competitiveness for Internet customers and end users”). The Pulse Internet Society study can be found here. The ANCOM study can be accessed here.

Why? How?

During the event – ​​communication service providers, journalists (especially from the IT and economic areas), representatives of authorities with responsibilities in the field of competition and electronic communications – will analyze together:

• how this undesirable conclusion was reached (also confirmed by the statistics of the regulatory authority – ANCOM);
• the impact on competition, services, as well as on the resilience of the Internet in Romania (“Internet Society gives Romania an overall Internet resilience score of 56%, which means it has medium capacity to withstand unexpected faults or challenges to normal operation.”);
• what would be the steps for returning to a healthy competitive environment and for a resilient Internet.

The event will take place on Thursday, May 29, 2025, at the JW Marriott Grand Hotel in Room B (1st floor), starting at 10:30 (Welcome Coffee), respectively 11:00 (presentations, debates and open discussions).

Program:
10:30 Welcome Coffee
11:00 Presentations, discussions
13:00 Networking lunch – informal discussions, solutions, measures for the future
14:00-15:00 Presentation and tutorial:

• monitoring and ensuring the continuous functioning of the Internet;
• using the Internet Society’s Pulse tool to extract data on the evolution and development of the internet.

RSVP office@internetsociety.ro – please confirm your participation by May 28, 2025. Registration is only possible upon confirmation by the organizer!

ANCOM regulates access to the Digi network in over 6,200 localities.

The National Authority for Administration and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) has identified Digi Romania as a provider with significant power in 6,288 localities in Romania, following the analysis of the local access services market at fixed points, at locality level.

In order to ensure effective competition in these localities, ANCOM proposes that a series of obligations be imposed on the operator. Details on the authority’s website:

https://www.ancom.ro/en/ancom-reglementeaza-accesul-la-reteaua-digi-romania-in-peste-6200-de-localitati_7483

After the public consultation period, it is expected that alternative providers of electronic communications networks and services will be able to access (in the designated localities) Digi’s local loops under regulated conditions through a reference offer approved by ANCOM.

In 2024, ANISP with the support of the Internet Society and the sponsors organizes a new edition of the RITE event, this year the theme is focused on the transformations of the Internet in the age of AI – architecture, services and security.

For details and registration we invite you to the event website!

ANISP participated in the conference ”INTERNET .RO HEADING WHERE IN AI TIMES? – How can Romania return to the global Internet top?”, which took place today, September 18, 2024 at the Grand Continental Hotel in Bucharest.

In the framework of the theme “Digital Transformation Challenges for the Internet Industry in Romania in AI times – Investments, Regulations and Innovation – Analysis of the Internet Industry in Romania, opportunities and challenges” the representatives of ANISP took the floor.

Mr. Adrian Popa, president of ANISP, emphasized the need to treat the infrastructure needed for electronic communications services according to the model of the infrastructure needed for utilities (electricity, water, gas), considering the simplified authorization / construction / intervention regime for these networks.

Mr. Tiberiu Gîndu, ANISP executive director, presented ANISP’s arguments in favor of regulating IP peering with dominant operators that tend towards “abuse of dominant position” behavior, as well as for regulating access to their infrastructure, according to the LLU (local loop unbundling) model already experienced at the level of the European Union.

Total Grup Telecom S.R.L. (TGT), represented by Mr. Lucian Bogaciu, Director, joined ANISP.

About the company: Total Grup Telecom appeared on the Romanian telecommunications market in 2005 with the desire to offer professional solutions in the field of designing and authorizing GSM sites. TGT is a company with fully Romanian private capital. TGT’s strategy is to offer its clients services at competitive prices, but above all, top quality.

TGT is an operator of underground telecommunications infrastructures, working currently with three municipalities on this subject (Constanta, Tulcea and Piatra Neamț), looking for new projects requiring such neutral, open and secure infrastructures.

ANISP supports organizing – by the Romanian Fiber Optic Association (AFOR) and the WorldSkills Romania Foundation – the first “Fiber Optic Splicing” Olympics in Romania, 10 years after the introduction of this trade in national registry. The Olympics will be hosted by the “Augustin Maior” Technical College of Communications in Cluj-Napoca, after, in February 2024, the contest will be organized at the local level, in each of the 10 participating high schools, for 3 categories: the 10th and 11th grade, high school education and 11th vocational education.

At the national stage, one student from each educational unit will qualify, and the winner of the national Olympics will represent Romania at the International Trade Olympics WorldSkills Lyon 2024 on the Information Network Cabling job that will take place in Lyon in September 2024. Romania’s representative at the national stage he will train together with 4 other colleagues (the next 4 from the national phase) in Bordeaux and Bucharest, who will represent Romania’s national team for the international Olympics.

ANISP contributes to the organization of the Olympics and will respectively provide a prize fund for the 10 students qualified in the national phase.

Other details on the AFOR website and on the project website.

Today, January 22, 2024, a meeting of the ANCOM Consultative Council board was held, mainly dedicated to the following two draft decisions, according to the agenda:

1. Draft decision on the security of public electronic communications networks and electronic communications services intended for the public;
2. Draft decision on the relevant markets in the electronic communications sector corresponding to voice call termination services at fixed points, respectively corresponding to voice call termination services at mobile points, as well as the withdrawal of existing individual obligations.

For project no. 2 there were submissions from the industry, submissions in which stakeholders expressed concern that deregulation could delay the conclusion of interconnection agreements (as there will no longer be obligations regarding the negotiation period and/or ancillary service tariffs).

The submissions were rejected on grounds that once the market analysis has shown the conditions for regulation are no longer met, there is no longer any legal basis for the regulation, except for a transitional period. Any dysfunctions should subsequently be dealt with punctually, according to competition law. This project was considered adopted.

Project no. 1. generated wider discussions, the intervening operators emphasizing aspects such as:

• The need for careful, accurate defining – of the network elements for which the implementation of electrical backup is to be imposed, taking into account the fact that some network elements (equipment) are normally disconnected in critical cases – precisely to extend the operating time on batteries for the remaining equipment;
• Focusing efforts towards providing basic services (for example: voice and data), instead of the obligation to keep all network elements connected;
• Extending the regime applicable to county capitals and to other large cities, which have similar characteristics;
• The need to ensure communication with electrical network operators, to speed up power reconnection in case of interruption.

For this project, ANCOM is still waiting for concrete formulations from the interested providers of electronic communications networks and services, based on the published draft.

Other images – on the event’s webpage as well as on Social Media.

On October 25, 2023, ANISP organizes the Romanian Internet Technologies Event (RITE). The event is intended to facilitate interaction between Internet service providers, Internet content developers, and various Internet users. RITE will open an interactive dialogue between producers and consumers on fundamental topics such as: Internet Technologies, the evolution of Internet content (from simple, unstructured and accessible data to today’s cloud media based on container technology, OpenAI, virtual reality virtual environment or the current DevOps software production model used by most IT companies today). Details and registration on the event website: https://rite.org.ro

Currently, public consultations related to the following normative acts with implications in the sphere of electronic communications services are taking place:

At the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitization – the draft law on security and cyber defense of Romania. Details here:

https://research.gov.ro/ro/articol/1029/transparenta-decizionala

In Parliament – the draft law on the approval of the Government’s Emergency Ordinance no. 119/2022 for the amendment and completion of the Government’s Emergency Ordinance no. 27/2022 regarding the measures applicable to final customers in the electricity and natural gas market during April 1, 2022 – March 31, 2023, as well as for the modification and completion of some normative acts in the field of energy. Details here:

https://www.cdep.ro/pls/proiecte/upl_pck2015.proiect?idp=20329