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Telecom. IT: Romania delays 5G auction due to lack of legislation
Romania cannot launch procedures to auction off the 5G frequencies until the Communications Code gets the green light, Digital Minister Sebastian Burduja has said, quoted by euractiv.com.
The auction for the 5G spectrum represents one of the targets that needs to be completed by 30 June, according to the country’s recovery and resilience plan.
But Burduja said the auctions cannot be launched as the Communications Code was contested by the Constitutional Court, and parliament needs to re-approve the law, to make the necessary corrections. The legislation is now in parliament, but the authorities want to wait to be sure no other complaint is filed to the Constitutional Court.
The country’s telecom authority known as ANCOM has already prepared for the auctions, but the regulatory framework needs to be defined for the bid to go on, Burduja explained.
The auction will still be launched in time for the next payment request from the recovery and resilience facility, he added.
Romania has included revenue from the 5G auctions in its budget for a few years but has failed every self-imposed deadline so far. Besides losing the estimated €600 million it expects to obtain from selling the 5G licences, Romania also risks a hefty fine due to the infringement procedure for failing to implement the EU Electronic Communications Code.