"ANCOM, together with the Association of Mobile operators in Romania (AOMR) and its members, have drafted and signed a code that sets conditions for the unlocking of mobile terminals coded within certain mobile communication networks in Romania. Romtelecom and RCS&RDS have joined this initiative," the telecom regulator said in a press release.
The code will be applied by operators Cosmote, Orange, Telemobil, Vodafone, Romtelecom and RCS&RDS as of September 1, 2009.
Mobile operators selling mobile terminals locked within their own network must inform clients whether the terminal is locked and present the conditions and prices for which the terminal can be unlocked. If the locked terminal is bought together with other communication services, operators will not be allowed to condition unlocking terminals by the acquisition of other services or tariffs.
The price charged to unlock phones will not exceed the costs of this operation and operators are obliged to meet unlocking requests within 15 days.
At the end of 2008, Romania registered 24.5 million mobile telephony users.