Internet in Moldova

Moldova has one of the best wired Internet connections in the world as well as one of the cheapest in terms of price per Mbit. The overall infrastructure is well developed which allows many users to experience good quality services throughout the country. However, despite high speeds and cheap prices, the penetration level is quite low when compared with many EU or CIS countries. In 2015 there were 80 registered Internet Service Provider's (ISP's) in the country[1] with the majority being local or regional with only a few offering their services throughout the country. Moldtelecom and StarNet are the country's leading providers sharing around 88% of the market.[2] The remaining 12% are shared between other ISPS like SunCommunications, Arax Communications and others. Almost all ISPs that offer their services across the country have their headquarters located in the capital city of Chişinău.
Moldtelecom is the only ISP that offers its services throughout the country on a wide scale, StarNet follows offering its services in several large towns and regional centers. Other ISPs are limited to their town or region.
Since 2008 all carriers offer 3G HSDPA Internet access throughout the country. While Moldtelecom and StarNet are major players on the "wired Internet access" market, Orange Moldova and Moldcell are major players on "mobile Internet access" market.
After the War of Transnistria in early 1990s Transnistrian government denied access of operation for many Moldavian based companies on its territory including telecommunications companies. As such the only major ISPs in that area are local IDC or Interdnestrсom (Интерднестрком) and LinkService, both operate only on Transnistrian territory.

Top Level Domain: MD

In order to meet requirements for WTO and the EU accession, the telecommunications market has been liberalized and no exclusive rights remain. Moldtelecom—the incumbent telecom operator—decreased its tariffs, allowing other providers into the market. However, low computer penetration rates and inconsistent government policy remain major impediments to Internet growth.[3]

The state has officially committed to developing Moldova as an information society, although many of its policies undermine this objective. Moldtelecom, which is also the major national ISP, remains under state control despite large-scale criticism and four failed privatization attempts. Moldtelecom also controls Unite, one of the four mobile operators created in 2007. At present, ISPs are forced to rent access from Moldtelecom's well-developed infrastructure, a necessity which increases their costs and diminishes their competitiveness. Moldtelecom provides the nondiscriminatory Reference Interconnection Offer, the last version having been approved by the regulator after much delay in December 2007. Even though some interconnection agreements are now agreed between the incumbent and IP and data transmission operators, some new entrants have complained about insufficient access to Moldtelecom's network leading to inefficient usage of infrastructure. In April 2009, the Moldovan regulator introduced new guidelines on interconnection tariffs. The regulation addresses the issues of obligations imposed on operators, with emphasis on transparency and nondiscriminatory stances toward competitors. It remains to be seen in practice how the new guideline will be applied by Moldtelecom.[3]

The Ministry of Information Development is the main policymaker in the field of information and communications and was drafting new Policy Strategy 2009–2011. The ministry's objective is to implement the National Strategy and Program on establishing e- Moldova.[3]

The main law regulating the Internet is the 2007 Law on Electronic Communication. The law established the National Agency for Telecommunications and Information Regulation (NATIR) as the telecommunications regulator in Moldova. This law mandates the government to harmonize national legislation with European standards. The law is intended to give NATIR full autonomy over the sector and replaces the licensing regime. Internet service providers can now start operating immediately after notifying NATIR.[3]

This agency is responsible for monitoring ISPs’ compliance with the law and keeping the Public Register of Electronic Communications Network and Service Providers. The law specifically provides for the possibility of introducing anticompetitive restrictions on service providers. The agency can demand that ISPs provide additional accounting information, can make them change to cost-oriented tariffs, and can introduce other measures in order to stimulate efficient market competition; and NATIR also regulates the management of the country's highest-level Internet domain (.md). The National Security Doctrine of Moldova as of 1995 did not include the Internet. 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 Ministry of Information Development carries out government policies related to information and communications and encourages collaboration between state and private organizations. The Moldovan legislation does not provide for comprehensive regulation of information security. Rather, the National Security and Information Service is endowed with broad authority to monitor and gather information on Internet usage and data transmission related to national security issues. In July 2008, a Moldovan court ordered the seizure of the PCs of 12 young Internet users for posting critical comments online against the governing party. The suspects were accused of illegally inciting people to overthrow the constitutional order and threaten the stability and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova. It is unknown how the authorities obtained the names of the people, but some suggest that an ISP provided them with the IP addresses of the users.[3]

Even though Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe, Internet and cell phones are used extensively by opposition and civil society groups to organize protests and voice their opinion. After the parliamentary elections on April 5, 2009, thousands of Moldovans attempted to gather in Chişinău's main square to protest the results. The protesters set the Parliament and president's offices on fire, images of which were broadcast around the world. As the guarantees for press freedom are still weak, Moldovan state television continued to show regular TV programming rather than broadcasting events occurring in the capital. The authorities disconnected cell phone coverage in the main square. More than 10,000 Moldovans joined in on Twitter (some with GPRS technology on their mobiles) to share their opinions and spread the news of Chişinău's political protests. The authorities attempted to shut down a number of Web sites for a few days, demonstrating a resolute hand in dealing with protesters.[3]

This incident, like others that have transpired in the region (e.g., the Ukrainian Orange Revolution), reveals the growing role of the social media in Eastern Europe as a tool for organizing protests and diffusing them online. At the same time, it creates the concern that governments in the region, aware of the increasing importance of social media, might attempt to close down free speech outlets anytime they feel threatened.[3]

Access Technologies and ISPs

Moldova

xDSL
Cable
FTTx
Dial-up
Wi-Fi

Aside from StarNet and Orange there are many other local free Wi-Fi networks hosted by café's, shops and fast food restaurants. Free municipal Wi-Fi is also available in Chişinău's trolleybuses[7]

Mobile

Transnistria

xDSL
FTTx
Dial-Up
Wi-Fi
Mobile

ISPs by category

Provider xDSL Cable FTTx Mobile Connection Speed (maximum)
Download Upload
Moldtelecom + - + - 1Gbit/s 1Gbit/s
StarNet - - + - 1Gbit/s 1Gbit/s
SunCommunications - + - - 300Mbit/s 300Mbit/s
Orange - - + +LTE < 300Mbit/s < 75Mbit/s
Unité - - - +LTE < 175Mbit/s < 75Mbit/s
Moldcell - - - +LTE < 150Mbit/s < 75Mbit/s
Arax + - + - 100Mbit/s 100Mbit/s
IDC (Gepard) - - - +LTE < 100Mbit/s < 50Mbit/s
IDC (OK) + - + - 60Mbit/s 60Mbit/s

The "maximum Download/Upload" means maximum external DL/UL speed for the most expensive package available for home subscribers, not business.

Statistics

At the end of 2015 there were 534,400 wired broadband subscribers and 298,400 mobile subscribers, most of them are from Chişinău.[18][19] In 2004 there were 183 Internet cafés registered in Chişinău alone, however as personal computers and Internet access became much cheaper over the years the number of registered Internet cafés has significantly decreased to the point where it would be very difficult to find one now. Since 2010 many providers have started offering unlimited 100Mbit/s plans, the average price for a 100Mbit/s plan is around MDL200 or €9.[20] In 2015 there were 80 registered ISPs in the country.[1] Average download speed throughout the country is estimated to be around 40 Mbit/s according to Ookla Net Metrics.
The table below shows the number of Broadband subscribers and penetration level per 100inh. in Moldova (excluding Transnistria). Statistical data is provided by ITU[21] and ANRCETI.[18][19][22]

Year Broadband Subscriptions Broadband Penetration Mobile Subscriptions Mobile Penetration Internet Users
2005 ~10,395 0.28% no data no data 14.63%
2010 ~269,100 7.53% no data no data 32.30%
2011 ~355,100 10.02% no data no data 38.00%
2012 ~417,200 11.72% ~178,500 5.00% 43.37%
2013 ~467,000 13.12% ~244,600 6.90% 48.80%
2014 ~509,200 14.30% ~279,500 7.90% no data
2015 ~534,400 15.00% ~298,400 8.40% no data

* Statistical data may change as new data becomes available !

Moldovan Internet in graphics

As of January 2016:
The most popular desktop browser in the country is Google Chrome with 74.16% of the market share, followed by Mozilla Firefox with 9.88%, Opera with 4.96%, Internet Explorer with 4.83% and Yandex Browser with 1.98% of the market share.[23]
The most popular desktop operating system in the country is Microsoft Windows 7 with 61.81% of the market share, followed by Microsoft Windows 8.1 with 10.88%, Microsoft Windows XP with 9.96%, Microsoft Windows 10 with 8.93% and Microsoft Windows 8 with 2.38% of the market share; the rest is shared between various distributions of Linux and Apple OS X.[24]
The most popular search engine in the country is Google with 90.29% of the market share, followed by Russian version of Yandex with 3.65%, Mail.Ru with 2.98% and Microsoft Bing with 1.50% of the market share; the rest is shared between other search engines.[25]

History

Surveillance and filtering

The National Security and Information Service is authorized to monitor the Internet and collect any information necessary to prevent infringements of the laws. Surveillance in Moldova is permitted only after obtaining a court order. There is no special legal act providing for Internet surveillance per se. Nevertheless, surveillance may effectively be carried out on the provider level or at companies. The Parliament is deliberating on legislative proposals, including changes to the Law on Operative-Investigative Activities and the Law on Telecommunications that would allow government agencies to carry out surveillance on telephone and electronic communications. The law is still under consideration, but if it is approved, it is expected that it might follow the Russian Law on Surveillance (SORM).[3]

Moldova has established two departments responsible for overseeing the activities of participants in the ICT sector. The first structure, within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is charged with prevention of interregional and informational infringements. The other body, within the Center on Prevention of Economic Crimes and Corruption, has special powers to prevent infringements in the IT and other fields.[3]

Moldova also possesses a comprehensive centralized database of information on all its citizens. This system, called registru (registry), has been heavily criticized by human rights groups for being too comprehensive and lacking oversight. Privacy rights are poorly developed in Moldova, and not yet defined in law. The information held by registru is extremely comprehensive and brings together data collected by all state agencies. Consequently, human rights groups fear that it represents unwarranted and unprecedented surveillance. The system has proven highly successful, and it is a model for governments in the CIS. It has been exported to several other countries in the region. The current Moldovan president, a former internal ministry general, supports registru—in part because it was originally developed within the Ministry of Internal Affairs.[3]

In 2007 and 2008, the OpenNet Initiative carried out testing on three first-tier ISPs in Moldova: Moldtelecom, Telemedia, and DNT SunCommunications. Results did not reveal any filtering carried out on the Internet backbone. In Internet cafés, access is limited more by surveillance than by direct filtering. Specific content is prohibited, and, if it is accessed, the user is fined. Approximately 56 percent of Internet cafés’ administrators surveyed by ONI admitted to filtering and surveillance activities in 2006. Other administrators stated that they noted that some Web sites were inaccessible, but would not confirm that they used any specific filtering system in the Internet cafés.[3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 (Romanian)"Volumul total al vânzărilor pe piața serviciilor de acces la Internet fix a depășit cifra de un miliard de lei". ANRCETI. 10 March 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  2. "Shares of Fixed Broadband Operators, by Number of Subscribers". ANRCETI. 15 March 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Moldova". OpenNet Initiative. December 19, 2010. This article incorporates text from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons attribution license.
  4. (Romanian)"Internet Total". Moldtelecom. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  5. (Romanian)"Orange Wi-Fi gratuit". Orange Moldova. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  6. (Romanian)"StarNet lansează reţeaua metropolitană Wi-Fi în Capitală". Timpul.md. 23 September 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  7. (Romanian)"Internet Wi-Fi gratuit în troleibuzele din Chișinău". Primăria municipiului Chişinău. 1 February 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  8. (Romanian)"Internet Acum 4G". Orange Moldova. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  9. (Romanian)"Harta de Acoperire". Orange Moldova. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  10. (Romanian)"Abonamente Internet 4G pentru laptop și tabletă". Moldcell. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  11. (Romanian)"Acoperire 2G si 3G". Moldcell. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  12. (Romanian)"Acoperire 4G". Moldcell. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  13. (Romanian)"Abonament Connect". Unité. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  14. (Romanian)"Acoperire 2G si 3G". Unité. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  15. (Romanian)"Unite a lansat rețeaua LTE 4G+ în baza frecvenței 1800 MHz (Band 3)". Unité. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  16. 1 2 (Russian)"Завершение эры Dial-up". Interdnestrсom. 17 December 2010. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  17. 1 2 (Russian)"4G Gепард [LTE]". Interdnestrcom. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  18. 1 2 (Romanian)"Evoluţia numărului de abonaţi în bandă largă, în funcţie de tehnologiile de acces (mii)". ANRCETI. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  19. 1 2 (Romanian)"Evoluţia numărului de utilizatori activi (mii) și ratele de penetrare la Internet mobil dedicat (în bandă largă)". ANRCETI. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  20. "XE Currency Converter". XE. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  21. "ICT Statistics Database". International Telecommunication Union. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  22. (Romanian)"Evoluţia penetrarării accesului în bandă largă fix, inclusiv pe principalele tehnologii". ANRCETI. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  23. "Top 5 Desktop Browsers in Moldova on Jan 2016". StatCounter. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  24. "Top 7 Desktop OSs in Moldova on Jan 2016". StatCounter. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  25. "Top 5 Desktop, Mobile and Tablet Search Engines in Moldova on Jan 2016". StatCounter. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  26. (Romanian)"Internet Total - un nou serviciu Internet". Moldtelecom. 21 March 2001. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  27. 1 2 (Romanian)"Descriere și istoric". StarNet. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  28. "Request for the Redelegation of .md Top-Level Domain // IANA Report". IANA. 22 October 2003. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  29. (Romanian)"MaxDSL - un nou serviciu de acces Internet". Moldtelecom. 16 October 2004. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  30. "About Seti". SETI. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  31. (Romanian)"MaxFiber - o nouă eră în Internet". Moldtelecom. 16 April 2008. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  32. (Romanian)"Orange a lansat reteaua 3G+, iPhone si magazinul Orange Studio in Moldova". Orange Moldova. 3 November 2008. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  33. (Romanian)"Moldcell anunta lansarea serviciilor mobile de generatia a treia - 3,5G.". Moldcell. 23 September 2008. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  34. (Romanian)"Operatorul Naţional Moldtelecom S.A. lansează 3G.". Unité. 1 April 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  35. (Romanian)"Impreuna la 4G". Orange Moldova. 11 July 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  36. (Romanian)"Oferte exclusive de la Moldtelecom cu cel mai rapid acces la Internet". Moldtelecom. 5 March 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  37. (Russian)"Первый абонент 4G!". Interdnestrcom. 21 April 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  38. (Romanian)"Internet la viteza luminii! Orange pionier necontestat in tehnologia 4G". Orange Moldova. 20 November 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  39. (Romanian)"Moldcell 4G – acum pentru toţi clienţii Moldcell". Moldcell. 21 December 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  40. (Romanian)"Unité 3G a lansat servicii HSPA+ cu viteză de 4G la preţ de 3G!". Unité. 1 April 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  41. (Romanian)"Cea mai mare viteză de acces Internet din Republica Moldova a fost testată în Studioul de Inovații Expert". Moldtelecom. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  42. (Romanian)"Unite 4G+". Unité. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  43. "The Competition Council had authorized the merger trough which Î.M. „Orange Moldova" S.A. took over Î.M. „Sun Communications" S.R.L.". National Competition Council. 19 October 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  44. "Open letter to Sun Communications subscribers regarding the acquisition by Orange Moldova". SunCommunications. 19 October 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  45. (Romanian)"Orange Moldova a finalizat cu succes achiziția companiei Sun Communications, operatorul TV prin cablu - lider pe piaţa din Republica Moldova". Orange Moldova. 19 October 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/28/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.