country is 410 Mb/s for 2005.
6
In 2006, mobile
phone ownership jumped to 32.2 percent. There
are more than fourteen operators providing
Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services on
the international voice market, although
Moldtelecom has retained the largest share. 7
Operators need to obtain a license in order to
offer IP services.
Over 3,000 domain names are registered in
the country code top-level domains (“.md”). 8 The
most popular languages accessed by Internet
users are Romanian, Russian, and English. The
most-visited local Web site is the news agency
site Azi (www.azi.md). The most-used search
engines are www.ournet.md, www.super.md, and
www.mail.ru.
Legal and regulatory frameworks
To meet requirements set by the World Trade
Organization, the telecommunications market
was liberalized on January 1, 2004. The main
operator decreased its tariffs on average by 25
percent, allowing other providers into the market. 9 However, low computer penetration rates
and inconsistent government policy remain major
impediments to Internet growth. The state has
officially committed to developing Moldova’s
information society, including promoting e-governance, although certain policies undermine with
these objectives. The main telecommunications
operator and top-tier ISP in the country,
Moldtelecom, remains under state control
despite large-scale criticism. ISPs rent access
from Moldtelecom’s well-developed infrastructure, which increases their costs and diminishes
their competitiveness.
The ISPs are licensed by the National
Agency for Telecommunications and Information
Regulation (NATIR), 10 the main telecommunications regulator in Moldova. The law and corresponding regulation do not require special
requirements for receiving a license. NATIR is
responsible for issuing and suspending licenses,
establishing license fees, and enforcing sanctions where necessary. In addition it regulates the
management of the country’s highest-level
Internet domain (“.md”). NATIR was established
with an amendment to the Law on
Telecommunications, which introduced a licensing regime for most Internet and telecommunications services. A new law on e-communications
entered the parliament in 2006 as part of an effort
to harmonize national legislation with European
standards. The drafted law envisions broader
rights for the final user and wider access to public networks, and provides for more-efficient market liberalization. The draft law also seeks to
establish a new independent body to regulate
telecommunications.
The Supreme Security Council (SSC), which
oversees implementation of the president’s
decrees related to national security, monitors
ministries’ and state agencies’ various activities
to ensure national security. The SSC Ministry of
Information Development carries out government
policies related to information and communications and encourages collaboration between
state and private organizations. The National
Security and Information Service is empowered
with broad authority to monitor and gather information on Internet usage.
ONI testing results
ONI carried out testing on three of the tier one
ISPs: Globnet, Moldtelecom, and Telemedia. The
tests revealed no evidence of filtering for any of
the categories of content tested.
ONI research determined that some ISPs
perform a differentiated multilevel filtering as a
means of protection against various network
attacks and spam or viruses. There was, however, no evidence of ISP-level filtering based upon
sensitive political or social content. More commonly this type of filtering occurs at the level of
business workplaces and cybercafés. ONI
researchers performed a survey among more
than 600 businesses to determine the level of filtering at work enterprises. 11 The results indicate
Country Summaries
331
6
In 2006, mobile
phone ownership jumped to 32.2 percent. There
are more than fourteen operators providing
Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services on
the international voice market, although
Moldtelecom has retained the largest share. 7
Operators need to obtain a license in order to
offer IP services.
Over 3,000 domain names are registered in
the country code top-level domains (“.md”). 8 The
most popular languages accessed by Internet
users are Romanian, Russian, and English. The
most-visited local Web site is the news agency
site Azi (www.azi.md). The most-used search
engines are www.ournet.md, www.super.md, and
www.mail.ru.
Legal and regulatory frameworks
To meet requirements set by the World Trade
Organization, the telecommunications market
was liberalized on January 1, 2004. The main
operator decreased its tariffs on average by 25
percent, allowing other providers into the market. 9 However, low computer penetration rates
and inconsistent government policy remain major
impediments to Internet growth. The state has
officially committed to developing Moldova’s
information society, including promoting e-governance, although certain policies undermine with
these objectives. The main telecommunications
operator and top-tier ISP in the country,
Moldtelecom, remains under state control
despite large-scale criticism. ISPs rent access
from Moldtelecom’s well-developed infrastructure, which increases their costs and diminishes
their competitiveness.
The ISPs are licensed by the National
Agency for Telecommunications and Information
Regulation (NATIR), 10 the main telecommunications regulator in Moldova. The law and corresponding regulation do not require special
requirements for receiving a license. NATIR is
responsible for issuing and suspending licenses,
establishing license fees, and enforcing sanctions where necessary. In addition it regulates the
management of the country’s highest-level
Internet domain (“.md”). NATIR was established
with an amendment to the Law on
Telecommunications, which introduced a licensing regime for most Internet and telecommunications services. A new law on e-communications
entered the parliament in 2006 as part of an effort
to harmonize national legislation with European
standards. The drafted law envisions broader
rights for the final user and wider access to public networks, and provides for more-efficient market liberalization. The draft law also seeks to
establish a new independent body to regulate
telecommunications.
The Supreme Security Council (SSC), which
oversees implementation of the president’s
decrees related to national security, monitors
ministries’ and state agencies’ various activities
to ensure national security. The SSC Ministry of
Information Development carries out government
policies related to information and communications and encourages collaboration between
state and private organizations. The National
Security and Information Service is empowered
with broad authority to monitor and gather information on Internet usage.
ONI testing results
ONI carried out testing on three of the tier one
ISPs: Globnet, Moldtelecom, and Telemedia. The
tests revealed no evidence of filtering for any of
the categories of content tested.
ONI research determined that some ISPs
perform a differentiated multilevel filtering as a
means of protection against various network
attacks and spam or viruses. There was, however, no evidence of ISP-level filtering based upon
sensitive political or social content. More commonly this type of filtering occurs at the level of
business workplaces and cybercafés. ONI
researchers performed a survey among more
than 600 businesses to determine the level of filtering at work enterprises. 11 The results indicate
Country Summaries
331