FAQ

1. How can I find out which providers offer fixed telephony/ fixed internet/ television services in my town?

ANCOM has made available a map of fixed telephony, fixed internet and television providers which offer services in a specific town. The map is made for information purposes, based on data provided half-yearly by providers.

You can find the offer that best suits your communication needs by accessing www.veritel.ro. Veritel.ro is an interactive application that performs comparative analyses of the tariff plans existing on the market, offering a ranking of the most advantageous offers in terms of price.

To check the up-to-date availability of services in a particular town and at a specific address, contact your providers directly.

2. What is number portability?

Number portability gives you the possibility to keep your telephone number, upon request, when you switch to a different provider and, consequently, to another telephony network. Further details are available at www.portabilitate.ro

3. Can I port my number to a prepaid card if I have a monthly subscription?

Yes, when you have a monthly subscription and you port your number, you can choose either an offer for a monthly subscription or a prepaid card.

4. Do I have to terminate the contract with my current provider before porting my number?

No, the porting request itself is a request to stop the provision of telephony services by the provider that you are leaving from. If you make a request for termination before the request for porting, it is possible that by the date of porting, the phone number is already deactivated and therefore, porting is no longer possible. For details, please visit www.portabilitate.ro.

5. I have made a request for porting and received an invoice with penalties from the provider I am leaving. Is this legal?

The transfer to a different provider does not exempt you from your contractual obligations with your old provider. Check whether the minimum contract period has expired before making a porting request. If you have not done so and you do not wish to port your number anymore, in order to avoid paying the penalties provided for in your contract, you can cancel the porting process by submitting a written request, at least 24h prior to the porting time that you have agreed upon with your provider. Details here.

6. Why can’t I make calls in a different network?

For users of a telephone network to be able to call users of other networks, interconnection agreements need to be in place between the operators of these networks. Therefore, if you cannot call a user of another network it is very possible that there is no interconnection agreement between the two operators (yours and the person’s you want to call).

7. The provider did not respond in writing to my complaint within 30 days. Whom can I contact?

The term for responding to complaints, as well as the damages to which you are entitled to if the provider exceeds this deadline, are provided in the contract you have concluded. However, there is no legal provision that sets a maximum response time, or the manner in which the response should be communicated (in writing, on paper, e-mail or telephone). Details here.

8. An Internet provider intends to install cable infrastructure in our block. What is the applicable procedure?

According to Law no. 154/2012 regarding the infrastructure regime of electronic communications networks, the authorized providers of public electronic communications networks have the right to perform installation, maintenance, replacement or moving of the elements of the electronic communications networks on, above, in or under private or public property buildings.

The access of the providers of electronic communications networks on private property can be done only after the conclusion of a contract in authentic form. Details here. Here you can also find the Framework-Agreement for access on private property, developed by ANCOM.

9. A GSM antenna has been installed on the terrace of the block where I live, and I am worried about the effects of the electromagnetic fields generated by it. What can I do?

The installation of the antenna can only be done with the agreement of the association of owners (tenants), expressed by the conclusion of a contract. Details here.

The maximum allowed values for non-ionizing radiation emissions are regulated by Order of the Minister of Public Health no.1193 / 2006 for approving the Norms regarding limiting the exposure of the general population to electromagnetic fields from 0 Hz to 300 GHz (replaces the Order of the Minister of Health and Family no. 1007/2002). For more information, you can contact the Ministry of health.

According to the law, ANCOM does not carry out controls and measurements at the request of third parties. However, ANCOM carries out a series of measurements in certain public places, according to the annual electromagnetic field measurement plan. Details here.

There are companies on the market that provide services for measuring the level of non-ionizing radiation emissions, if requested.

10. Is it legal to sell / use jamming devices (jammers, signal isolators)?

The selling and usage of equipment created to prevent the normal functioning of electronic communications (jamming), especially GSM communications, is illegal in the European Community, and therefore in Romania. If such devices are found, ANCOM must remove them from the market. Details here.

11. Someone requested, by phone, that I send an SMS / type a code on my mobile phone / communicate some personal data. What can I do if I have responded to such a request?

Although they might be presented as coming from your mobile service provider or from well-known companies, these communications are fraudulent attempts to gain unjustified profits and are initiated by ill-intentioned individuals. Details here.

12. Can I ask an operator to unlock a phone coded for use in his network?

Yes, under the conditions provided in the Code of conduct adopted by all mobile telephony operators in Romania. Details here.

13. I sent a single SMS from my mobile phone, however several appeared in the detailed invoice. Why?

In general, a written message transmitted from your mobile phone can contain up to 160 characters (letters, spaces and punctuation marks). Usually, when writing or sending a text message, there should appear on your screen information on the number of text messages that will be sent if a longer text is separated into several messages.

14. I want to cancel my monthly subscription and keep my number for a prepaid card, but the provider refuses my request. What can I do?

Switching from a monthly subscription to a prepaid card, while keeping your telephone provider, represents a particular case of termination of the subscription-based services contract, which is a matter of the commercial policy of each provider. Therefore, it is up to the provider if and under what conditions they accept such a request. Details here.

15. An additional charge for a call / SMS to a short number appeared on the invoice. Whose number is this?

Domestic short national numbers (for example, 1456 or 1607) are often used to provide value-added services, such as technical support, pictures and special sounds for mobile phones (ringtones), horoscopes, contests and games or certain applications that may be downloaded to your mobile phone.

If you called, sent an SMS or replied to an SMS from such numbers you may be charged extra.

Although these services are not always provided by your telephone operator, they might be able to provide additional information on the use of short internal numbers. Therefore, before subscribing or requesting such services, go to your provider’s website to get informed on the fees charged and on how you can find out more details about these services. Details here.

16. I called a directory inquiry service and was charged for a period longer than the one during which I requested and was given information. Why?

The numbers for directory inquiry services have the form 118xyz. The rates can be higher than the tariff for a local call and, generally, are not subtracted from the national minutes included in the subscription. Furthermore, an initial service access fee can be charged and then, depending on the duration of the call, a per-minute fee.

Moreover, if an additional service is offered, through which you are put through to the number that you requested information on, the tariff for calling the directory inquiry service will be charged for the duration of your call.

Before calling such a number, read the instructions carefully or contact the provider to find out the exact tariff.

17. I cannot contact an operator when I call the provider's customer service. What should I do?

When you call customer service and the line is busy, you can wait until an operator is free or you can opt for other ways to contact your provider (call a premium rate number, email, fax, online form, work points, post office). Check your contract to see how you can contact the customer service.

ANCOM cannot intervene if you are unhappy with the quality of the customer service (waiting time, the operators’ attitude, etc.), but we advise you to send your comments and suggestions directly to your provider and urge him to take measures for improving the service. Details here.

18. How can I check whether the invoice issued by my internet/telephony provider is correct?

Generally, your provider will issue a non-itemized bill for the offered service. For internet and telephony services you may request an itemized bill, regardless of whether you have a monthly subscription or a prepaid card, in order to see how the service has been charged

Incorrect billing can have several causes. The provider’s failure to implement the offer you contracted, due to a human error, may be one of them. Generally, the operators’ exchanges are digitalized, secured systems, their parameters are permanently checked, which significantly reduces the possibility of a human error to occur in charging the traffic. On the other hand, the legal provisions in force do not empower ANCOM either to check the accuracy of the traffic records in a provider’s exchange, or to request the providers to make available the content of the users’ communications in order to check the billing accuracy. Details here.

19. The provider charges a tax for issuing the paper invoice, although it sends it free of charge by e-mail or online. What can I do if I do not agree to pay the tax?

The provider has the obligation to issue the non-itemized bill to its subscribers free of charge, without having any obligations regarding the format in which it should be issued (electronic or printed). However, if you have access to the internet and you have a choice of the methods of transmission of the invoice by your provider, we believe that it is more efficient to receive the invoice in electronic format and to pay it online.

20. Even though I did not benefit from a free phone, the provider still requests additional fees for early contract termination. Is this legal?

Providers establish a minimum contract term to ensure the recovery of costs in the case of commercial offers that include certain additional benefits for users. These benefits refer not only to free or low-cost phones, but also to promotional tariff plans, free installation of services, etc. However, these penalties must be proportionate to the value of the benefits granted. If the fees requested for early contract termination consist of a fixed amount, with a value that you consider too high compared to the possible losses that the provider could incur, you can notify the National Authority for Consumer Protection.

21. I have informed my provider that I wish to terminate the contract, but I still receive invoices. What should I do?

The contract concluded with the provider stipulates the ways in which you can submit a request for termination of the contract. Although some providers give you the opportunity to communicate your termination request by telephone, it is preferable to make a written request, send it by post, with confirmation of receipt, or submit it to a point of work / shop of the provider and receive a registration number. Details here.

22. I have a favourite television program, which my provider has removed from the grid. Can I terminate the contract?

Television providers are not required to include the list of programs retransmitted in the contracts concluded with the users. As a rule, users benefit from a minimum number of programs, depending on the package chosen, and the providers reserve the right to unilaterally modify the grid structure of programs (i.e. the TV programs actually provided) during the validity of the contract (depending on the negotiations with the broadcasters, certain legislative changes, audience, etc.). This change cannot be a basis for terminating the contract without payment of early termination penalties (if provided). Details here.

23. I learned from the press that the interconnection rates for calls have dropped. Why didn't the tariffs in the bill also lower?

The interconnection rate is the price paid by a telephone service provider to the operator of a network for the transport and termination of its own users’ calls to the latter’s network. Although the value of the interconnection rates is found in the value of the tariffs charged by the providers to the end-users and, implicitly, the reduction of the former will lead, in time, to the reduction of the latter, the providers do not have the obligation to reduce the retail tariffs automatically subsequently to each interconnection rate reduction. Details here.

24. I was called by an operator, I was proposed an offer, and I accepted it, but I did not sign any contract. Can I change my mind?

If you have accepted an offer through a distance communication means (telephone, e-mail, online application, etc.) and have confirmed to the provider in writing that you agree with it, you have concluded a distance contract. It has the same legal value as a contract you signed in writing, at the provider’s premises. However, if you change your mind, you have the right to withdraw from the contract within 14 calendar days from the date of its conclusion. Details here.

25. Can I sign a contract at home / at the company premises?

If you have accepted an offer submitted to your home, the provider has sent you in writing all the information about the offer and confirmed the conclusion of the contract, then the services will be provided to you according to a contract concluded outside the commercial premises. If you change your mind, you have the right to withdraw from the contract within 14 calendar days from the date of its conclusion. Details about the contract for telephone services here, and about the contract for Internet services here.

26. I signed a contract for a minimum period of 12 months and the next day I changed my mind. Is the provider obliged to accept the termination of the new contract without the payment of penalties?

If the contract has not been concluded by a distance communication means (telephone, e-mail, online application, etc.) or outside the provider’s commercial premises, there is no legal provision that allows you to withdraw from the contract signed, even within a short time from its conclusion.

27. Does the operator have to notify me or interrupt my services if I have consumed the traffic / minutes included in the subscription?

Each internet access service provider has the obligation to implement a system that gives international roaming customers the opportunity to receive information on accumulated consumption and to apply maximum ceiling by default (50 euros), if they have not requested the application of another ceiling, according to the commercial offer for the roaming service. Details here.

There are no legal provisions that require providers to offer a similar service for (telephone or data) traffic consumed within the country, but according to the information we have, some operators convey warnings about consuming the data traffic included in the subscription.

28. I have no signal at my home, and I cannot use my cell phone. What can I do?

There are cases where the mobile service cannot completely replace the fixed telephone service, in the sense of the availability of the service at a specific address. The quality of the GSM signal can depend on multiple external factors, such as weather or geographical conditions, building structures, network congestion, etc. Therefore, before concluding a subscription contract, it is advisable to check the coverage maps on the providers’ websites, but at the same time consider that they reflect the coverage from outside the buildings and that the values are indicative and are not guaranteed. Some providers offer the possibility of testing the service for a trial period. Take advantage of this facility to check the coverage and quality of service. If the provider does not offer this service, you can initially opt for a prepaid card.

29. I cannot use VoIP applications even though I have a subscription for the mobile internet access service. Is this normal?

The principle of technological neutrality implies that all electronic communications services that are transported through the network are treated equally, regardless of the content of the communication, the type of service or application, or who the sender and receiver are. However, at present, a provider’s practice of limiting user access to what it considers to be a use of the service that could cause harm does not contravene the legislation in force. However, it is mandatory that this type of traffic management is provided in the contract you have concluded with the provider. Details here.

30. I received a damaged parcel. Whom can I contact?

The sender is entitled to adequate compensation for the damage caused by the loss, theft, total or partial destruction or deterioration of the postal item, if these circumstances occurred during the shipping process. The sender may waive his right of compensation in favour of the receiver. In case it is impossible to obtain the respective damages amicably, the affected person can address the competent court. Details here.

FAQ