UPDATE: Antitrust may open cases vs 3 big operators for natl tariffs soon

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MOSCOW, Aug 14 (PRIME) -- Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service may open cases within a week against three of the four biggest national mobile operators as they failed to provide sufficient reasons for changing prices of roaming inside the country, the authority said on Monday in a statement, citing the service’s Deputy Director Anatoly Golomolzin.

“As of August 14, 2017, one of connection operators has submitted to the service a motivated petition on the prolongation of terms of fulfilment of the warrant and expressed readiness to execute it within the new timeframe,” Golomolzin said without specifying the companies.

“In such a way, an issue will be considered this week to open cases on signs of violating the antimonopoly law by the remaining three operators.”

The antitrust authority warned the country’s four main operators – MTS, MegaFon, VimpelCom, and T2 RTK Holding – to make equal tariffs in home regions and across the country, which means the abolition of internetwork roaming. The service’s Deputy Director Anatoly Golomolzin said earlier that the warning should be respected by August 10–13.

One of the operators sent a motion for explanation of the warrant and asked for the prolongation of terms without sufficient motivated grounds, the service said. The request was rejected on August 4. No repeated motions were submitted.

Two other operators made motions for getting familiarized with reports on the state of competition on the market on August 4 and August 10.

Spokespeople for MegaFon and MTS said earlier that MegaFon will file a lawsuit on Monday against the antimonopoly service against its warning to eliminate national internetwork roaming, while its rival MTS is cooperating with the watchdog.

“It’s impossible to fulfil the antimonopoly service’s warrant. (MegaFon)’s position has not changed. We’ve been offering our subscribers a choice of tariff plans with prices of calls equal to those in home regions and various options to optimize expenses of subscribers since long ago. The company will file a lawsuit to court today,” a MegaFon spokesperson said.

MTS’ spokesperson Dmitry Solodovnikov said the company is cooperating with the antimonopoly service on the fulfillment of its warrant.

“We’re in dialogue with the Federal Antimonopoly Service,” Solodovnikov said.

On August 11, a service spokesperson said the authority was receiving information from the four operators regarding the warning.

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