Antitrust orders mobile operators to cancel traffic sharing charges

MOSCOW, Sep 18 (PRIME) -- Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service has warned the country’s four major mobile operators to stop charging payment for Internet traffic sharing via mobile devices during a month, the authority said on Monday in a statement.

“The service found out that the connection operators impose on subscribers unprofitable terms of a contract of connection services by obliging them to pay for sharing Internet traffic via subscriber devices,” the antitrust service said.

The authority said it requested that MTS, MegaFon, VimpelCom, working as Beeline, and T2 RTK Holding, working as Tele2, terminate the practice.

“There is nothing to comment, we have not received any documents from the Federal Antimonopoly Service. As soon as we get them, we will study them,” a spokesperson for VimpelCom told PRIME.

MTS and MegaFon said they have not received the document either.

“However, MTS provided all the necessary details and a sufficient economic and technical ground behind the change of parameters of Internet sharing in MTS’ terms. Pay tethering is an enforced step to reduce uncontrolled growth of Internet traffic on the connection network, whose part is generated with Internet sharing,” the company said.

MegaFon said that when it sees the document the operator will be able to analyze consequences of the regulator’s requirements and decide on further moves.

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