ArmenTel gets a severe reprimand for applying tariff discrimination toward Ucom

Yerevan /Mediamax/. ArmenTel got a severe reprimand at the session of the State Commission for Protection of Economic Competition today for applying discrimination of tariffs towards Ucom fixed communication operator.

According to the complaint that Ucom filed to the Commission, the tariff for calls from ArmenTel mobile network to Ucom fixed network is set at AMD 99 per minute (for all the tariff plans) whereas the cost per minute of calls from ArmenTel mobile networks to its fixed network ranges from AMD 29.99 up to AMD 59 depending on the tariff plan, Mediamax reports.

“Citizens avoid calling from ArmenTel mobile network to Ucom fixed network due to the tariff: it artificially hinders expansion of the phone services of the company which has only recently entered the market”, Ucom’s complaint reads.

At today’s session of the Commission, ArmenTel’s lawyer David Sandukhchyan informed that the company accepted the fact of violation in the course of administrative production and already equalized almost all the tariffs for Ucom network with the tariffs for calls to ArmenTel fixed network. According to him, the prices are cut off in almost 80% of the tariff plans. In other aspects, the tariff reduction is aimed to resolve technical issues which will be finished till late September.

Taking into account the liquidation of violation, the Commission decided to confine itself to a severe reprimand toward ArmenTel.

Summing up the discussions, the Chairman of State Commission for Protection of Economic Competition Artak Shaboyan recalled that the Commission also accuses ArmenTel of two more decisions (abuse of dominating position and unfair competition) which ArmenTel is contesting in court.  

\'\'ArmenTel informed the Commission today that  it is ready to pay the penalties set by the Commission [under the decisions mentioned above] (AMD 100mln and AMD 500thousand respectively) and it waives all the legal claims towards the Commission\'\', said Artak Shaboyan adding that the SCPEC took this fact into consideration upon making the final decision toward ArmenTel.