The Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications and Postal Services announced, on 21 September 2022, that according to the Act no. 452/2021 Coll. on electronic communications ('the Act'), the decree on the national numbering plan passed the legislative process. In particular, the Authority noted that the change includes the introduction of two new number sets for machine-to-machine ('M2M') communication and for direct marketing services.

Moreover, the Authority noted that the chairman of the Office for the Regulation of Electronic Communications and Postal Services Ing., Ivan Marták, provided that 'Calls, the purpose of which will be such a marketing presentation over the phone, will now have to be made only with an area code. Therefore, if the called customer sees the three-digit number 888 on the display of his phone, he will immediately know that it is a marketing call and he himself will decide whether to accept the call or reject it'.

Furthermore, the Authority highlighted that it will monitor compliance with the decree and, in case of violation, will issue a fine from €200 to 5% of the annual turnover. In addition, the Authority stipulated that the allocation of a number from the (0)888 set began on 19 August 2022 and that the office will proceed with the control of their mandatory use approxiatemly from the beginning of October 2022.

You can read the press release here and access the legislative portal here, both only available in Slovak.