DUSHANBE, June 22, Asia-Plus – The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MoEDT) accuses Tajik telecom, the state-owned national telecommunications operator of Tajikistan, and the former Ministry of Communications of violating the country’s antimonopoly legislation.
According to the MoEDT press service, a February 6, 2006 ruling by the former Ministry of Communications has created unequal opportunities for electrical communications operators through setting unfoundedly high rates for some of them and unfoundedly low rates for others.
A June 20 meeting at a MoEDT on this subject noted that study of the materials had revealed violation of the antimonopoly legislation. It was established that Tajik Telecom had set favorable rates for operators in which it owns share stakes — closed joint-stock company (CJSC) TT-Mobile (MLT) and TK-Mobile.
Since Tajik Telecom ignored ruling by the antimonopoly commission to review the rates and lower unfoundedly high rates set for some communications operators, the antimonopoly commission opened a case against sub-division of the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) and Tajik Telecom on charges of violating the country’s laws on natural monopolies, on competition and restriction of monopolistic activity on commodity markets al limitation.
The MoTC and Tajik Telecom admitted the mentioned violations and pledged themselves to fulfill all requirements, the MoEDT press service said, adding that they were given ten days to revoke their unfounded ruling.
