Albania to assist Kosovo with country code switch

TIRANA, Nov. 5 – Albania and Kosovo will set up joint working groups to cooperate in ICT, Albania’s Innovation and ICT Minister Genc Pollo said after meeting Kosovo Economic Development Minister Besim Beqaj in Tirana. “The first working group will deal with telecommunication issues and is expected to also treat Kosovo’s country code issue and the contribution Albania can provide, seeking an appropriate way-out based on national legislation and international rules in this field. The second working group will focus on roaming tariffs, which under new rules adopted by the EU affect Western Balkan citizens including Kosovo and Albania when travelling abroad. The third working group will focus on the shift to digital transmission.
Last September, Albania backed in principle a Kosovo Parliament resolution that allows the neighbouring country to use Albania’s country code instead of Serbia’s even though the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) does provide phone codes unless a country is not recognized by the United Nations.
Albania’s business community represented by Konfindustria has supported the Kosovo Parliament resolution and appealed for the establishment of a working group of experts.
“The decision is a financial necessity for Kosovo whose use of codes from third countries for more than 13 years has caused its economy to lose hundreds of millions of euros,” said Konfindustria administrator Gjergj Buxhuku.
The Kosovo assembly has adopted a resolution by which it requests the government to perform all necessary actions in order for the international prefix for fixed telephony 381, and two mobile prefixes 377 and 386, to be replaced with the unique country code of Albania – 355.
The Serbian Trade and Telecommunications Minister has already sent a letter to ITU’s Toure, asking him to stop Kosovo’s plans that represent abuse of the international agreements and standards.
Kosovo is neither a member of the United Nations nor of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and as a consequence cannot have its national area code. Up until now it used the area codes of Serbia, Monaco and Slovenia