OREANDA-NEWS. December 30, 2013. This is stated by a report of the National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technologies on observation of special terms of 4G licenses by license holders - Orange Moldova and Moldcell.

As the report reads, Moldcell’s 4G network covers Chisinau and 9 places of population of the municipality of Chisinau, where over 564.3 thousand people or 14.3% of the population of Moldova live. Orange Moldova’s 4G networks covers the municipalities of Chisinau and Balti, Cahul, Ceadir-Lunga, Calaras, Dondiusani, Edinet, Hincesti, Orhei, Otaci and Ungheni, and 22 places of population more, were 859.2 people or 26% of the population of Moldova live. The special terms of the 4G license impose on its holder the responsibility to launch the minimal set of bundled 4G services, including data transmission and access to mobile internet, within a year since a day of the license issuance.

Besides, the license holder has to ensure 4G coverage with its own networks at areas where at least 25% of the population of Moldova live. The first term was met ahead of schedule, in November, 2012, when the holders launched 4G services in Chisinau. As for the second obligation, Orange Moldova has met it within its first year on the 4G market. Moldcell’s 4G coverage has amounted to 14.3%.

As the ANRCETi report says, the year after the launch of 4G services, a number of subscribers have undershot expectations of 4G providers. By November 2013, the subscriber base of Orange Moldova amounted to 1,131 subscribers; Moldcell has had 305 subscribers. Such a situation is determined by the lack of wide range of devices that make it possible to use 4G services, namely smartphones, tablets, laptops, as well as by high prices on the devices that are sold on the market of Moldova. In early November 2012 ANRECTI licensed Moldcell and Orange Moldova to use the 2500-2690 radio frequency for 4G services.

The licenses cost the companies EUR 10 million each. 4G services are the services of the broadband radio access based on IMT and/or LTE and/or IMT-Advanced standards. They allow connecting to the mobile internet at a speed of up to 100 Mbps. 4G technologies improve the quality of access to internet and data transmission, help to organize video conferences via mobile phones and use other applications for mobile communications.