The implementation of number portability is one of the commitments Romania has undertaken in accordance with Chapter 19 of the EU accession negotiations and is deemed to be an efficient measure for fostering competition in the electronic communications sector.

Number portability offers the subscribers the possibility to keep their telephone number when they wish to change their telephony provider. The users are thus ensured greater freedom of choice, whereas the providers are spurred to take additional diligence and launch increasingly attractive offers in view of preserving their customer base and gaining new customers.

The number portability service has been made available by all the active fixed and mobile telephony providers in Romania from 21 October 2008.

The National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) implemented number portability in Romania and imposed on the providers the obligation to offer this service to their customers. ANCOM created the legal framework in view of carrying number portability into practice in Romania, by the decisions taken on the implementation of number portability and on the adoption of the technical and commercial terms for the implementation of number portability.

ANCOM established the central database required in view of implementing this service with PHARE support, by means of the project “Support to the National Regulatory Authority for Communications (ANRC) for the implementation of a central database system for number portability”, supply project financed by the European Union through PHARE 2005 programme – “Facilities for special actions”.

The company that won the international tender organised in view of creating the database was UTI Systems, in collaboration with the companies Porthus BV Belgium and Microsoft Romania, as subcontractors. In this supply project, the PHARE contribution accounted for 75%, whereas ANCOM, as a final beneficiary, contributed with 25% of the contract value. The total value of this project amounted to EUR 582,432.98, VAT not included.

In view of the successful implementation of number portability, a series of tests were performed with the support of UTI Systems during 31 May - 1 October 2008, which envisaged the interoperability between the central database and the telephony operators’ own IT systems.

The portability of fixed or mobile telephone numbers is fully functional in Romania as of 21 October 2008.