MOSCOW, September 12 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's antitrust service should also look into increased connection tariffs between the country's three largest mobile operators, a high-ranking service official said Tuesday.
Before July 1, when lawmakers canceled charges for incoming calls, the three largest operators - MTS [RTS: MTSS], VimpelCom [NYSE: VIP] and MegaFon [RTS: MEGF] paid one another 0.19 rubles ($0.007) per connection.
But the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS) said in August that the "big three" were using a rate of 0.95 rubles ($0.0354) per connection, whereas other operators had to pay 1.1 rubles ($0.0410) for the same service, or 16% more, which put them at a disadvantage. A case has been opened into the matter.
"During the consideration of the case in the FAS, not only discrimination against regional communications operators on the part of the 'big three', but also an unsubstantiated increase in tariffs inside the 'big three' should be discussed," said Dmitry Rutenberg, the deputy head of the FAS department for transport and communications control and oversight.
Rutenberg also said that the three operators would not face anything more than an order to stop violating the competition law. "And they can appeal this [the decision to give them the order] in a court of law," he added.
VimpelCom, Russia's second biggest cell phone operator, announced September 1 that it would provide a discount to small regional operators from 1.1 rubles to 0.95 rubles until the end of the year. MTS and MegaFon have not followed suit.
The FAS will hear the case on September 28.
