19.03.2008
Today, March 19, 2008, at the headquarters of the National Regulatory Authority for Communications and Information Technology (ANRCTI) the offers for the installation of telecentres in 172 rural localities have been opened, following the tender organised by ANRCTI in December 2007.
The following companies submitted offers for the installation of telecentres in the 172 localities: AccessNet International S.A., NXTel Sollution S.R.L., Orange Romania S.A., Rartel S.A., The National Radiocommunications Company S.A. and Vodafone Romania S.A.
The 172 villages were selected from the localities with limited or no access to communications services. The mayoralties of these villages expressed their interest in participating in the national programme for the installation of telecentres launched by ANRCTI and committed themselves to managing the telecentre.
ANRCTI will designate, upon analysing the files submitted by the six companies, the universal service provider for each locality. All the winners shall install one telecentre in the locality or localities for which they have been designated, thus enabling the inhabitants to initiate and receive local, national and international calls and to use the Internet and fax services.
The main criterion based on which ANRCTI will designate the winners is the net cost (requested subsidy) for the installation of the access link and of the equipments, but due account shall also be paid to:
– previous experience in the provision of services within the scope of universal service;
– retail tariffs to be charged by the telecentre;
– manner of ensuring access to emergency calls;
– provision of additional services;
– provision of additional equipments (e.g.: copier);
– timeframe for commissioning the telecentre.
The financial proposal shall weigh 70% of the total score granted to each offer.
The net cost for the installation of a telecentre shall be subsidized by ANRCTI from the Universal Service Fund. All the telecentres shall be in place by this autumn.
This is the seventh and the last tender organised by ANRCTI within the national programme for the installation of telecentres. The previous six tenders resulted in the designation of six companies that committed themselves to installing 461 telecentres. 320 of these telecentres have already been commissioned and 141 more shall be installed by mid-2008.
At the end of the seven tenders for the installation of telecentres, telephone and Internet access services will be available in up to 633 underserved villages, within the national programme for the implementation of Universal Service by means of telecentres.