With their 3G licences set to expire on 31st March, the government of Romania has made a last minute decision to allow the local units of Orange and Vodafone to extend them.
For EUR30 million (US$32.9 million), the operators will be permitted to retain their spectrum management rights for the 2100MHz band up to 31st December 2031. The fee is due before the end of March 2020.
RCS&RDS and Telekom Romania Mobile Communications are permitted to extend their licences to the same date, but since their current licences expire in January 2022, they will pay less for the renewal – a total of EUR25 million each, due before 30th November 2021.
The renewal fees were recommended in December 2019 by the country’s regulator ANCOM (National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications). The 2100MHz is used by Orange, Telekom Romania and Vodafone to deliver 3G services, while RCS&RDS provides both 3G and 4G via the frequency.