Russia’s MegaFon to complain of MTS copying style to sell SIMs

MOSCOW, Jan 14 (PRIME) -- Russian mobile operator MegaFon will complain to the Federal Antimonopoly Service that MTS, its main rival, had used its corporate design and colors when selling contracts, a spokesperson for MegaFon said late Wednesday.

Blogger Timofei Vasilyev posted photos of packages with MTS contracts designed like those of competitors, MegaFon, VimpelCom and Tele2 taken at Telefon.ru, a chain belonging to MTS.

SIM cards had no name on the front side, but contained a phone number of the MTS call center on the back side, the blogger said.

“We will complain to the antimonopoly service in the next few days. The complaint will be grounded on clause 14.6 of the law on protection of competition,” MegaFon’s spokesperson said. The clause bans unfair competition through copying products of rivalling companies.

“The colleagues seem to believe that we offer our subscribers with connection services of a higher quality and try to mislead consumers. Clients buy these SIM cards in order to join MegaFon, and it is only later that they learn that services are provided by another mobile operator,” Anna Serebrynikova, MegaFon director for legal affairs and government relations, said.

An MTS spokesperson said that clients see the operator’s name when they sign a contract and on SIM cards.

A spokesperson for VimpelCom, working under the Beeline brand, said that the operator does not sell its contracts via Telefon.ru.

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