RCS & RDS, Orange, Vodafone, Telekom they will have to wait until 2020 to launch their 5G networks on the frequencies that the government sells, or to move their current networks to the new frequencies. Everything was announced today by those from ANCOM, who say that due to the change of government, the auction cannot be organized for the 5G frequencies that RCS & RDS, and the rest of the Romanian telecommunications operators, should buy.
RCS & RDS, together with the rest of the telecom environment, should have brought at least 580 million euros to the state budget following this auction, and its postponement leaves the state without a very important amount of money. The postponement of the 5G auction leaves Ludovic Orban's new government without a very large amount of money that would have helped to control the budget deficit, but here everyone is left without 5G from RCS & RDS, and the rest, on the new frequencies.
RCS & RDS, Orange, Vodafone, Telekom, 5G LAUNCH, POSTPONED due to US Case, Huawei
RCS & RDS has a 5G network made with Huawei and Sony equipment, and bad news also comes from ANCOM, because the memorandum signed by Klaus Iohannis with Donald Trump in the USA prevents the 5G auction. The Romanian state must determine if Huawei is a national security risk for Romania, and its equipment must be banned for the 5G networks from RCS & RDS, and not only that, so that until an analysis is carried out, the auction will not be organized.
"We cannot pretend that this memorandum with the USA does not exist and then our requirement is the transposition of this memorandum which is classified strictly secret in the primary legislation. These people have the right to have all the information when they come to buy something from the Romanian state. We did our job, external factors brought us to this situation. It is a deployment of forces that exceeded our institution."
RCS & RDS could be forced to replace some of the current telecommunications equipment, as well as those from Vodafone, but everything depends on the analysis that will be done due to the memorandum signed with the USA. No one is saying that Huawei will be banned from supplying telecommunications equipment for 5G networks from RCS & RDS, and other companies, but for now the auction for their frequencies is postponed until it is determined whether the company's products are a danger or not.
RCS & RDS, Orange, Vodafone, Telekom will be notified in time regarding this possible restriction, and ANCOM hopes to be able to organize the auction in the first part of next year, but of course nothing is clear yet.
