Armenia’s Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) in its June 22 meeting decided to approve an application and grant permission to the Russian Embassy in Armenia to use radio frequencies. This move led to misinterpretations particularly on social media that radio frequency refers to providing broadcasting frequency.

Meanwhile, judging from the draft decision [AM], the one-year authorization refers to the corresponding frequencies provided for the mobile radio communication network in the city of Yerevan and surrounding communities.

And judging from the draft contract [AM] to be concluded between the parties, the embassy is obliged to use the mobile radio communication network only for internal use*; it has no right to connect its internal network to the public electronic communications network or provide compensated or uncompensated electronic communication services through its internal network.

Head of the Telecommunications Department Gevorg Gevorgyan, reported the issue in the meeting, from whom Media.am attempted to get comments. 

Prior to that let us note that the PSRC (through the RA Law on Electronic Communications) is empowered by law to grant this permission.

As for providing radio broadcasting frequencies, not the PSRC but the National Commission on Television and Radio has this right (through the RA Law on TV and Radio Broadcasting).

Ruzanna Khachatrian

*Updated: Improved translation by changing Russian Embassy’s use of the mobile radio communication network from “domestic production” to “internal”.