Armenian operators urge clients not to overload Karabakh Telecom, make only urgent calls

Armenia’s three mobile operators - Ucom, Beeline and Viva-MTS - have issued a statement urging subscribers not to make calls to Artsakh unnecessarily and not to overload the Karabakh Telecom network with incessant calls and messages.

You can read the full statement below.

“Dear compatriots,

We and our partner-operators receive countless calls, letters and demands about roaming in Artsakh. It should be noted that the unprecedented volume of calls made by the subscribers of Armenian operators is served due to the great efforts of Karabakh Telecom, but in the conditions of overload this possibility is also endangered.

The opportunities and the number of subscribers of Armenian and Artsakh operators are incomparable. Servicing calls became more difficult for Karabakh Telecom also because the network infrastructure of the only operator in Artsakh was targeted and according to our data, suffered damage, the recovery of which requires time as well as serious human and financial resources.

In general, roaming is a standard in the field, which is technically embedded based on international and domestic legal regulations in the field of telecommunications. Armenian operators operate within the framework of a license issued by the state, exclusively within the internationally recognized borders of the Republic of Armenia.

It should be noted that the zeroing of roaming tariffs should not be done by the decision of Armenian operators. Let's clarify the roaming pricing model. By the decision of the regulatory body, the inter-operator tariff was interconnected, after which a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the regulatory bodies and operators of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh, on the basis of which the maximum tariff for subscribers was set, which is the same for all three operators in Armenia. The zeroing of the tariff will lead to a greater burden on the Karabakh Telecom network, which will inevitably lead to the disruption of the Karabakh Telecom network due to limited bandwidth.
Let's not ignore the fact that it is due to the work of Karabakh Telecom that the subscribers of Armenian operators have the opportunity to be in touch with our compatriots in Artsakh. The most important issue today is the provision of financial and technical capabilities of the call receiving network, Karabakh Telecom, in terms of servicing the large volume of calls and compensating for losses.

The motives of those who raise the issue are honest and understandable. However, we must establish that the existence and maintenance of the Karabakh Telecom network must not be endangered under any circumstances.

We, the three Armenian operators, urge not to make calls to Artsakh without urgency and not to overload the Karabakh Telecom network with incessant calls and messages. Today, more than ever, the Artsakh operator's network is an infrastructure of strategic and vital necessity, the maintenance and uninterrupted work of which requires the caring attitude and efforts of each of us. Thank you for your understanding.”