Moldova
The Republic of Moldova, formerly a part of Romania, has reported an emerging commercial trunked radio market, with one company licensed to date, according to the International Mobile Telecommunications Association. The country’s Ministry of Communications has designated the 410-430 MHz band for trunked radio systems, with 200 channels designated for these systems, but only one licensee.
The ministry has established a liberal policy of equipment requirements, as it does not require a specific equipment protocol to be used, said IMTA. However, the equipment used must be type-approved. “On the down side, commercial trunked radio operators are allowed to interconnect to the [PSTN] for local calls only. International and inter-city calls are not allowed,” said IMTA.
“As is typical in many countries, licensees are required to build their system and begin providing service within one year after the license is granted.”
A license may be applied for at any time, but the terms will depend on how many requests the ministry receives. There is no limit on foreign ownership.
Russia
U.S.-based SmartLink Development Network Inc. announced it received certification from the Communications Committee of Russia for its SMRLink trunking system and all components. Certification is an involved and time-consuming process in Russia, reported SmartLink, taking in excess of 18 months to complete. However, deployment of wide-area two-way radio systems using trunking technology is not possible in Russia without certification, the company said.
To be certified, the trunking system must not just meet specific criteria, but must also be tested and certified in the frequencies intended for deployment, according to SmartLink. Its system received certification in the 150 MHz, 450 MHz and 800 MHz bands, the company said.
“Russia and the CIS countries represent one of the fastest-moving markets in the world for implementation of leading-edge wireless systems,” said Craig Johnson, executive vice president for SmartLink. “We are very excited about the avenues that Russian certification opens up for our system.”
