ANCOM issues licenses for telephony and mobile internet in the 2100 MHz band

The providers of communications services Orange and Vodafone, paid each the amount in lei of 30 million euros for the extension of the licenses they hold in the 2100 MHz band. Thus, ANCOM extended the licenses held by the two providers which are now valid for the period April 1, 2020 - December 31, 2031. License fees, totaling 60 million euros, are transferred to the state budget.

In the case of RCS & RDS and Telekom Romania Mobile Communications, the extension fee was set at the equivalent in lei of 25 million Euro for each. The two operators must pay the tax by November 30, 2021 at the latest, after which their licenses will be extended.

ANCOM proposed the amount of the fee for the extension of the licenses existing in the 2100 MHz band through a public consultation launched in December 2019. The level of the tax proposed by ANCOM and adopted by the Government was determined in proportion to the duration of the extension: the equivalent in lei of 30 million lei. euros for Orange and Vodafone licenses and the equivalent in lei of 25 million euros for RCS & RDS and Telekom Romania Mobile Communications licenses.

The Government decision on establishing the amount of the license fee for the extension of licenses for the use of radio frequencies and the conditions for making the payment was published in the Official Gazette no. 258/30 March 2020.

Orange, Telekom and Vodafone use the 2100 MHz band for the provision of UMTS / 3G networks and services, and RCS & RDS for the provision of UMTS / 3G and LTE / 4G networks and services.

According to the latest statistical data of ANCOM, in the middle of last year, in Romania there were 19.6 million mobile Internet connections, of which 84% were 3G and 4G connections, and 22.3 million active mobile users.