ICT regulator issues temporary license to Orange

The National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology (ANRCETI) on February 28 issued Orange Moldova with a license for a period of 20 months for the public mobile cellular electronic communication networks and services, Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting a communiqué from the Agency. The period of validity of the current license of the mobile phone carrier Orange Moldova, which was issued in 1998, expires on March 7. The temporary license is provided with a view to synchronizing the expiration dates of this license and the license held by the mobile phone carrier SA Moldcell (November 5, 2014). The move is aimed at ensuring equal competition conditions for the providers on this market and at creating the conditions needed for technological neutrality. Orange-Moldova came into possession of the license after it paid the state tax of €1.786 million in Moldovan lei into the state budget. Under the special license conditions, Orange Moldova must ensure the provision of the minimum set of 2G. services. It is also obliged to cover Moldova’s territory and population with GSM signal in proportion of 99.5% and, respectively, 99.7%.