ESIS extension / Romania / Alternative Networks / Update Memo 3

The following report outlines new developments in the past three months and the state of on-going developments.

The radio-communication sector has a large geographic extent and offers a true infrastructure for the alternative networks in Romania.

A closer look at the radio communication networks in service in Romania will highlight the strong points of this environment, apt to play an important role in the operation of the present or future of any telecommunication network.

National Radio-Communications Company, a public company coordinated by the National Agency for Communications and Informatics (NACI), operates the Romanian radio-communication network in addition to the operation of the biggest Romanian satellite ground station (this company own the biggest satellite dish in Romania - 32 meters diameter, located in Cheia, a mountain resort).

These networks contain old radio-transmitters used for national radio and television programs broadcasting and telephone links. However, in the last years it started to develop new sub-networks using the newest technologies and equipments.

Expecting the liberalization of telecommunication market (planned for January 2003), the National Radio-Communications Company started the development of many projects to reach the second position in this market (behind RomTelecom, the national Phone Company).

One of these projects is the SDH national digital radio-transmitters network, with a bandwidth of 622 Mbps STM-4.

Starting from September 1999 the National Radio-Communications Company installs in Romania one of the most important SDH (SDH - Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) radio- communication networks in Central and Eastern Europe.

Since 80’s, the Synchronous Digital Hierarchy provides the best platform for old services such as POTS (POTS - Plain Old Telephone System) and for new ones, such as: ISDN (ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network), data communications (LAN, WAN, MAN), VOD (VOD - Video On Demand), ATM (ATM - Asynchronous Transfer Mode) and HDTV (HDTV - High Definition Television). SDH provides high transfer rates (10 Gbps) and a best network security using redundant routing systems.

Built in a period of one and a half-year as part of an 11 million USD contract with the German Company Bosch Telecom, this network is based on four backbones (organized in a star topology with Bucharest as a center):

In addition, provides the interconnections with major networks from Europe (based on ETSI - European Telecommunication Standard Institute standards) and from North America (SONET networks, based on ANSI - American National Standard Institute standards).

Right now the SDH network is linked to the European networks by two links: Oradea – Debretin (Hungary) and Giurgiu – Ruse (Bulgaria), but other links will be developed in short time.

The development of the Romanian SDH network was made by a task force of 180 Romanian engineers who installed 118 antennas, 8.1 Km of wave-guides and covers 1500 km, linking 43 cities (11 of them being the most important ones in Romania). Almost one half of Romanian population has now access to the SDH network services.

As for the future, this project plans to install over 1700 km of new digital radio-connections linking the corners of the star topology in a ring. This new topology will provide a better failure protection.

The national digital radio-transmitters network represents the platform for the broadcasting of national radio and television programs as well as for new services such as:

Now, the National Radio-Communications Company is in the middle of a reorganization and privatization process, planned to be finished at the end of year 2000.

After this privatization the major stockholder will be a big foreign company, a leader in communication field, giving the possibility for the National Radio-Communications Company to become the second major telecommunications operator (including for fixed telephony) in Romania after the liberalization of the communication market.

Please note that this report has been prepared under the sole responsibility of the ESIS II contractors.
It does not necessarily reflect the views of the Commission, nor does the Commission accept responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of information contained herein.
The ESIS Team of contractors welcomes any additional information or corrections.