DUSHANBE, October 15, 2012, Asia-Plus — Four Tajik large mobile phone operators that are on the register of dominating entities have been fined for ignoring the anti-monopoly agency’s ruling to raise tariffs on outbound calls to Russia, an official source at the Antimonopoly Agency under the Government of Tajikistan told Asia-Plus in an interview.
According to him, the mobile phone operators should have raised tariffs on outbound calls to Russia in May 2011. “An appropriate ruling was handed down on April 26 last year following a request by the mobile phone operators themselves,” said the source. “Affiliates of Russian mobile phone companies operating in Tajikistan justified the request by saying that they received an offer from Russia to raise tariffs up to 8 cents per minute, and therefore, the tariffs were reviewed.”
In April last year, the antimonopoly agency reportedly handed down ruling to raise tariffs on outbound calls to Russia to 12 cents per minute (VAT and excise duty are included). Four mobile phone operators, including Tacom (Beeline), Tcell, Babilon-Mobile and TT-Mobile (Megafon-Tajikistan), which are on the register of dominating entities, however, ignored the ruling. “All these mobile operators have been fined 300 accounting indices each (one accounting index is set at 40.00 somoni),” the source said.
“Analysis of the mobile phone market has shown that some companies whose head offices are located in Russia have used their advantageous situation and cut the prices. Thereby, they have put other mobile phone operators at a disadvantage.”
The head of the communications service agency said, “I do not see any problem in raising tariffs on outbound calls to Russia.”
We will recall that an official source at the communications service agency told Asia-Plus yesterday that mobile phone operators functioning in Tajikistan have raised tariff on outbound calls to the Russian Federation.
Beginning on November 1, there will be consolidated tariff on outbound calls to Russia for all mobile phone operators functioning in Tajikistan – US$0.10 per one minute (VAT and excise duty are not included), the source said.
The mobile phone operators say they do so in line with the ruling handed down by the Antimonopoly Agency under the Government of Tajikistan and requirements issued by the Communications Service under the Government of Tajikistan on September 27, 2012.
