UPDATE: Russian cell operators asked to report on roaming price plans soon

(Adds comments from operators in last six paragraphs)

MOSCOW, Nov 25 (PRIME) -- The Federal Antimonopoly Service has inquired about Russia’s top four mobile operators’ plans to raise roaming tariffs and is waiting for a response through December 5, a service spokesperson said on Friday.

“MTS was asked to provide grounds for the increase of roaming. Mass media also reported on a statement by a MegaFon spokesperson on their intention to hike international roaming tariffs. Because of the above, a request was also sent to the company,” the authority’s spokesperson said.

MTS said earlier in November it will raise prices by at least 13% from December 9 for international roaming in basic tariffs in 38 countries.

VimpelCom, known under the Beeline brand, and T2 RTK Holding, known as Tele2, should report whether they plan to raise tariffs for international roaming or not. If they do, the operators should explain the decision.

MegaFon’s CEO Sergei Soldatenkov said in early November that roaming tariffs in Europe can grow following higher fees charged by local operators that will seek to recover losses after the cancellation of roaming in the E.U. in 2017.

Spokespeople for VimpelCom and T2 RTK Holding said the operators will not raise tariffs for international roaming.

“We haven’t received the request from the antimonopoly service. VimpelCom maintains prices of voice connection and mobile Internet in the international roaming at the current level,” press secretary Anna Aybasheva said.

T2 RTK Holding’s spokesman Konstantin Prokshin said the operator has no plans to hike tariffs, though it has not received the antitrust request either.

MegaFon reiterated that foreign operators are raising inter-operator tariffs, which affects prime costs of international roaming.

“We've said earlier that a number of operators have increased inter-connect rates dramatically. In particular, most European operators hiked by 10 and more times prices for non-EU operators. Keeping in mind that some 70–80% of voice traffic of Russian subscribers going abroad is in Europe, these changes depress prime costs of roaming services,” Yulia Dorokhina, head of MegaFon’s press office, said.

MegaFon has not received the antitrust inquiry so far, she said.

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