The year 2019 ends foreign phone codes

Kosovo is eventually expected to do the removal of all foreign phone codes and to use only Kosovo's +383 telephone code, representatives of the Electronic Communications and Postation Authority (ARKEP) disclose.

Although it was envisioned since June 2018 to end operating foreign phone codes and using Kosovo's +383 code, this failed to be accomplished.

The challenge for the overall implementation of the Kosovo telephone code +383, according to mobile operators Vala and Ipko were their relationship with international operators.

ARKEP Board Chairman Kreshnik Gashi tells Radio Free Europe that although the use of foreign codes has not been achieved in 2018, the implementation process has marked major achievements.

“One of the achievements that can be mentioned is the complete removal of Serbia's code that has been operating in Kosovo for a long time from fixed phone. In fixed phones, all operators, whether large or small, have completely implemented the +383 code, while mobile phones have opened up opportunities to call and accept calls with the +383 code. This way, now calls from around the world to Kosovo can be made with +383 even in mobile and fixed mobile phones”.

The use of the +383 code in many applications used on social networks” has also been made in this process, Gashi says.

The second deadline for removing foreign codes was October 31, 2018. But, in the inability to achieve this deadline, the two Dala and Ipko operators had requested a postponement of the deadline, but this was not accepted by the Electronic and Post Communication Regulatory Authority (ARKEP).

This authority, issued final warning and demanded that foreign codes be eliminated as quickly as possible, until with sanction measures, it was announced that it began from January 15, 2019.

Now, January 15th, 2019 is the last date when mobile and fixed mobile operators Vala and Ipko will have to start with the implementation of the +383 telephone code or start with sanctioning measures.

Gashi stresses that this decision had been made in order for operators to be given a condition and eventually told that there will be no other tolerance of the code.

We have continued contacts with both operators who are working to realise the removal of foreign codes as soon as possible. We will wait for the scheduled date (January 15th) and only until then can we be sure what the outcome will be. However, the decision has now been made that if there are violations of that deadline, operators know that they will be punished and there is no need for any new decision, since the decision only exists and there will be a monthly punishment of 10,000 euros for any operators that fail to fully implement that” decision, Gashi points out.

Currently, there are two mobile operators in Kosovo who use international foreign codes. Mobile phone “Vala” uses Monaco's (+377) code, Slovenia's IPKO (+386) for which Kosovo must pay high cost of spending.

Telecommunication experts considered the neglect of telephone operators to assemble in the set term Kosovo state phone code +383.

Telecommunications expert Agron Dida, once Kosovo Post-Telekom leader in a conversation for Radio Free Europe, has said that operators for the neglect shown in the face of the overall implementation of Kosovo's 383 telephone.

I think this is unforgivable neglect. The regulator (ARKEP) is to impose fines immediately, as these will be delayed again. This is not the problem of the citizens of Kosovo, but of the operators who have to solve it. They must do their best to render proper service to citizens. It's been a long time since citizens have a problem with communication, because the software systems of these systems have not adapted properly and have not made transitary solutions to switch to the new system in the +383” code, Dida said.

In the absence of the telephone code, only Kosovo Telekom, which uses +377, has paid for the use of the 3m-euro Code for Monaco Telekom, and for commercial losses of up to 6m euros. The total cost caused by lack of the telephone code, according to Kosovo Government data, has cost the country up to 200m euros.

Kosovo had been assigned the phone code from the International Communications Union (ITU) in December 2016. This code was the result of talks in Brussels, between Kosovo delegations and Serbia, with the European Union's mediation.