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ANISP and RONIX have partenered # 2019 IT & C SUMMIT Cyber ​​Security, Critical Infrastructure and New Business Technologies, to be held on the 8th of May, 2019, at Pullman Hotel, New York City Hall, Montreal Square 10, Bucharest, sector 1. # 2019 The IT & C Summit is organized by Newsweek magazine and aims to bring together all cyber-security actors in Romania: the Ministry of Communications and Information Society, CERT-RO, companies providing cyber security and companies using such services and for which the protection in the online environment is of strategic importance. On behalf of ANISP, Mr. Cătălin Cuturela, President, will participate as Speaker.

The event will focus on the post-2020 European digital strategy , but also on artificial intelligence as a potential for business & community development as well as for improving the living standards. Strategic directions proposed by the most important companies in the field and new trends in IT & C services for business will be presented. With the transposition into national law of the NIS Directive, Law 362/2018 on ensuring a high common level of network and information security, all companies providing services essential for the population must reduce the risks of cyber attack and adequate take technical measures. This means increased budgets for cyber security systems and services. The goal is to provide all participants information on the obligations covered by Law 362/2018 to ensure a high level of security of networks and IT systems, projects and technologies to be implemented, ways to ensure cooperation between the business environment and the administration to increase the level of cyber security.

Invitations to participate have been launched to utilities, transport, financial, health, digital service providers (online markets, online search engines, cloud computing, hosting, etc.) sectors as well as to the press.

Access to # 2019 IT & C SUMMIT can be granted as Partner or Participant.

For registration as a Participant it is necessary to fill in the form here: https://events.newsweek.ro/itc-summit-2019

To become a Partner of the event, having visibility in the debate through a presentation, promotion and the possibility of distributing commercial material, contact the organizers at office@concordcom.ro

ALEF announces the conference dedicated to cloud soluțiilor – April 11th, Crown Plaza Hotel, Bucharest:

Dear Partners,

It is our pleasure to invite you on the 11th of April, 2019, at the 3rd edition of the Cloud Conference, organized together with our partner, Avaelgo. You will be able to meet our trainer, Valentin Ghiță, one of the top Microsoft Cloud speakers of the event, together with our Alef Microsoft Team.

We hope to see you there!

Top 5 Reasons to Attend the Cloud Conference:

1. Free access to Cloud, IT, and GDPR experts
2. Companies share their success stories
3. Breakout sessions and post-conference workshops
4. Learning opportunities
5. Define the migration strategy of your company to the cloud

Reserve your seat right now – FREE ACCESS

Romania’s entry into the 5G era will be intensively debated at the 2019 edition of the Communications Day conference. Alexandru Petrescu, MCSI Minister and Sorin Grindeanu, ANCOM President, the European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, as well as representatives of the main players in the communications industry are invited. The event will take place on Wednesday, April 3, 2019, at Crowne Plaza Hotel, Bucharest.

Invitations will address issues related to preparations for 5G launch in Romania, with reference to the spectrum auction, requirements, rethinking spectrum usage, national roaming, 5G pilot projects, pre-commercial testing, 5G government services, network security , services, 5G applications and connected objects, incentives for the adoption of 5G technology. The talks will also point to Romania’s connection to high-speed networks (RoNET Project and its continuation) and infrastructure law. The discussions will be moderated by Mihai Constantin, TVR presenter and Executive Director of the Romanian Mobile Operators’ Association. Several ITC professional associations have already announced their participation by signing collaborative partnerships: the Association for Optical Fiber (AFOR), the Digital Alliance for Romania, the ANIS, the Romanian Association for Electronic Industry and Software (ARIES), the National Association of Internet Service Providers in Romania. (ANISP), Interlan, the Romanian Association for Security Technique (ARTS), the Romanian Water Association (ARA), the National Association for the Information Systems Security (ANSSI), etc.

For more information and registration visit the event site:
http://ziuacomunicatiilor.ro/

Some telcos, members of ANISP, reported that Timisoara City Hall started yesterday (18 March 2019) actions to remove aerial cables / networks in certain areas of the city. Photo: https://www.opiniatimisoarei.ro

ANISP supports the development of underground networks in urban areas as they have clear advantages over aerial networks, both aesthetically and in terms of infrastructure security.

In order to move the existing aerial networks underground, telcos expect to find true partners in the local authorities – to cooperate for finding the best solutions in the general interest of both citizens and business environment, whose healthy development is also reflected in the welfare of citizens.

That is why we believe that local authorities, before proceeding to unilateral actions of dismantling aerial communications infrastructure, must make sure alternatives are offered – as in Oradea (a project developed by the City Hall and RCS-RDS) or Bucharest (a project developed by the City Hall and Netcity Telecom) etc.

In these examples, once an alternative subterranean infrastructure was available, telecommunications operators immediately started migrating to underground networks, so the local authorities obtained multiple benefits:

• improved city aspect and citizens’ safety;
• citizens were provided access to quality communications services;
• local budget revenue increased.

In places where the underground migration alternative exists (for example, subterranean ducts), local authorities must allow enough time for migration, since:

• telcos are often forced to work on multiple fronts;
• generally, human resources are not sufficient to carry out massive works in short time;
• a time span is also required for supplying materials (fiber optic cables);
• chaotic cable cuts can lead to interruptions in Internet services to residential users but also to interruptions in connections serving mobile base stations (including access to emergency 112 service) or interruptions of other important information society services (i.e. ATMs, POSs, equipment and traffic monitoring etc).

We ask the local authorities in Timisoara (and any other territorial administrative unit) to postpone aerial networks dismantling until alternative (underground) solutions are available to allow for a safe relocation of the fiber optics cables. Also, where elements of underground infrastructure exist, the involved parties need to make sure that such can be used (for example: are not clogged, are not not interrupted, they really reach the buildings to be connected and access is made in a non-discriminatory way and at fair prices).

ANISP makes the following statements related to the action opened by the Bucharest City Hall and the project company Netcity Telecom against ANCOM President’s Decision no. 40/2019, a decision correcting a number of abusive provisions met in the contracts for accessing the underground communications city infrastructure:

ANCOM Decision 40/2019 is a very important act for the communications sector development in Bucharest and nation-wide. Prior to adoption of ANCOM’s decision 40/2019, development of fiber optic communications networks was hampered by exaggerated access fees – by the Netcity Telecom project company.

Having a monopolistic position on the market for access to underground infrastructure and interpreting for its own benefit certain provisions of the concession contract executed with the General Council of Bucharest Municipality, the project company Netcity Telecom imposed tough technical and economic conditions on the business environment, obliged to comply under the threat of immediate dismantling of previously existing networks.

As a result, many of the alternative operators have disappeared and networks development has slowed down. Restricting competition in any sector leads to higher end-user rates and lower quality services.

Even some directions declared as priorities in governmental policies (Romania’s digitalization, 5G adoption, IoT, e-government, telemedicine etc) are endangered by unregulated monopolies / oligopolies. For example, in order to the fully take advantage of the 5G technology, it is necessary to construct high density networks having fiber optic backhaul. A prohibitive cost of installing optical fiber cancels the benefits of 5G.

In view of the above considerations, Law 159/2016, which transposes into Romania a European directive on the reduction of the cost of installing communications networks (Directive 2014/61/EU), was strictly necessary and its necessity has been manifested for many years. Law 159/2016 in turn imposed ANCOM, by art. 47. par. 9, to take regulatory action in such situations as the Netcity project.

The community of communications service providers grouped in ANISP considers ANCOM’s decision 40/2019 to be an important step in the right direction, in all relevant respects (for reasons of development of the strategic sector of electronic communications, for economic, social, legal reasons) . We also call on Bucharest City Hall not to look at this decision only from the narrow perspective of lowering (albeit not very significant, if any) its revenues from the corresponding royalty fee, to cancel the court action against ANCOM 40/2019 decision – and to support the development which will bring much more benefits to the inhabitants of Bucharest, both directly (through the services offered) and indirectly (through the taxes paid by the companies that will be able to develop once the monopolistic barriers are eliminated by ANCOM regulations).

We believe the chances of success in court for PMB’s action are very low, as there can be no solid reasoning for canceling ANCOM’s decision 40/2019; a waiver of this legal action means saving time and money.

Last but not least, ANISP expresses its support for the development of the Bucharest underground infrastructure (Netcity), but only under the provisions of Law 159/2016 and under the conditions legally imposed by the market arbitrator – ANCOM.

File references, according to the just.ro portal:

http://portal.just.ro/2/SitePages/dosar.aspx?id_inst=2&id_dosar=200000000370647

http://portal.just.ro/2/SitePages/dosar.aspx?id_inst=2&id_dosar=200000000370650

Today, February 12, 2019, the inaugural meeting of the Digital Romania Advisory Board was held at the Ministry of Communications and Information Society, under the chairmanship of Minister Alexandru Petrescu. Photo: MCSI

ANISP was represented by Mr. Cătălin Cuturela, president; and by Mr. Tiberiu Gîndu, Executive Director. Mr Cuturela pointed out the need to cancel the provisions of GEO 114/2018 on the 3% monitoring fee and up to 10% of the turnover fines for discrepancies in the network authorization regime. He also insisted on the need to change law 50/1991 by establishing a derogatory regime for installation of communication cables – to facilitate construction of gigabit networks and society digitalization.

The working groups defined within this Advisory Board are:

1.     E-skills
2.     Ecommerce
3.     Smart city
4.     Advanced digital technologies
5.     Telecom

Further details: https://www.comunicatii.gov.ro/prima-intrunire-a-consiliul-consultativ-romania-digitala/

On January 28, 2019, Mr. Tiberiu Gîndu, ANISP CEO, had a brief intervention on RRA (national news radio) upon issues related to personal data protection and security. Photo: Radio Romania Actualitati

(Romanian language)

The National Association of Internet Service Providers in Romania (ANISP) draws attention to the negative effects of GEO 114/29.Dec.2018 on the development of this strategic importance industry.

Article 77 of the Emergency Ordinance requires a surcharge of 3% of turnover, generating the following negative effects:

1. The excessive taxation of the telecommunications industry is affecting investments. Consequently, the targets for Romania’s digitalizing, introduction of 5G, IoT, smart city technologies, coverage of “white” areas – will be missed. This will lead to a slowdown in Romania’s future economic growth;
2. The excessive taxation of the telecommunications industry leads to higher tariffs for end-users. As a side effect, the increase in the number of Internet subscriptions and / or mobile telecommunication services will slow down;
3. The excessive taxation of the telecommunications industry is affecting the competitive environment. Competition on the telecoms market is currently very intense. Net profit margins of the largest operators are averaging at 5%, in certain years falling in the negative territory. If in such an ultra-competitive environment a 3% turnover burden is added, some alternative operators will face bankruptcy. As an indirect effect, a decrease in the state budget revenues stemming from wage related taxes of the personnel facing unemployment shall be observed, as well a new brain drain of the most qualified to other EU countries;
4. The excessive taxation of the telecommunications industry contravenes the Romanian and European law on telecommunications. Thus:
   (a) ANCOM (the regulatory authority) has to charge tariffs to ensure nothing more than its normal functioning (under Article 12 of Directive 2002/20 / EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on the authorization of electronic communications networks and services);
   (b) Directive 2014/61 / EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 requires Member States to identify measures to reduce the cost of installing electronic communications networks;
   (c) The Constitution provides for the rightful settlement of tax burdens (Article 56) and equality before the law (Article 16) – articles infringed by discriminatory over-taxation of providers of electronic communications services;
   (d) The Constitution provides for the priority of EU rules on contrary provisions of national law (Articles 11 and 148) – articles violated by the adoption of a mechanism for setting the monitoring tariff, contrary to the European calculation mechanism related to NRA budgeting.

Benchmarking against other EU states, one notice the monitoring fee is elsewhere much lower or even non-existent. For example, the UK regulator (OFCOM) is requesting a 0.1160% turnover rate – only for companies with a turnover of over 5 million pounds (according to OFCOM website for 2018 and 2019). In Germany, the Bundesnetzagentur does not charge surveillance fees. These examples demonstrate once again that the new Romanian 3% monitoring tax is exaggerated by far.

Another series of negative effects is generated by art. 85 of Order 114/2018, since excessive penalties – up to 10% of turnover – are imposed on “suppliers who contract maintenance, replacement of networks … and the infrastructure elements necessary to support them … in the absence of a building permit”. In other words, an operator performing maintenance work (for example, an intervention to repair a communications cable) can be fined with 10% of the turnover because it is not waiting the issue of a construction permit – a process that may take several months. Meanwhile, service users are deeply disturbed (and for good reasons) by a service unavailability of several hours.

Having in mind all these effects, ANISP requested the Ombudsman to submit to the Constitutional Court’s attention the unconstitutionality of art. 77 point 4 of GEO 114/2018. At the same time, ANISP sent a letter to the EU Commission’s Directorate-General for Communication, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT), requesting Commission’s support, based on the above arguments.

Today, the 20th of December 2018, a Consultative Council meeting was held at ANCOM headquarters, focusing on the draft decision on the regulation of access conditions in Netcity infrastructure.

There was a survey of the industry’s observations and the latest arguments were heard before the decision itself will be published (first part of January 2019).

The main tariffs will become:

a) 73.16 euro / km / month for the main tube rental service;

b) 0.224 euro / meter / month for connection tube (”racord”);

c) 0.277 euro / meter / month for the FTTB branch service;

d) EUR 11.43 / hour for the attendant service (business hours);

e) 17.15 euro / hour for the attendant service (outside business hours);

f) 526 euro / course / participant for the installer certification service.

As a significant change from the original project, it is noted that the connection tubes (”racorduri”) are to be billed proportionally with their effective length. Thus, for an average length of 28 meters (announced by some ANISP members), the monthly tariff for a connection tube shall be EUR 6.27 (instead of EUR 20 currently).

The ANISP community considers this project an important step forward in normalizing the access to infrastructure on the territory of Bucharest.

On December 4, 2018 ALEF Distribution, provider of equipment, solutions and training, specialized in Cisco, NetApp, Meraki, active and leader in several Eastern European markets in the field of distribution, data infrastructures, IT security & voice communications became a valued ANISP member.