FAS demanded that operators cancel intranet roaming

On July 14, 2017, the Federal Antimonopoly Service issued a warning to the Big Four operators - VimpelCom (Beeline brand), MTS, MegaFon and T2 Mobile (Tele2 brand) - with a requirement to change tariffs for communication services when traveling around Russia.

“FAS Russia has established signs of violation of paragraph 6 of part 1 of Article 10 of the Law on the Protection of Competition, which were expressed in the establishment and maintenance of different tariffs for cellular communication services in the home region and trips around Russia,” says a message published on the agency’s website .

As noted by the FAS, the Big Four operators offer subscribers four categories of tariffs, in which communication services outside the home region have different prices. Thus, in expensive package tariffs, subscribers do not pay extra when traveling if the services used do not exceed the volume included in the package. At the same time, cheaper tariffs provide for payment for services outside the home region at linear tariffs or by connecting special options.

"The more expensive the subscriber's tariff plan, the smaller for such a subscriber the difference in tariffs for cellular communication services at home and when traveling. After analyzing price proposals, as well as the conditions for the technical organization of the provision of communication services, the FAS Russia found that these actions are neither economically nor technologically are not justified," the statement says.

According to the FAS order, telecom operators must change the terms of tariff plans within 14 days of receiving the warning, and also notify subscribers about such changes 10 days before introducing new conditions.

Later, the head of the department for regulation of communications and information technology of the FAS, Elena Zaeva, stated that the department’s warning provides for the abolition of intranet roaming (when a subscriber moves from one region to another, but remains in the network of one operator), and the decision on a warning for national roaming, which involves the use network of another operator will be accepted by the end of this week, TASS reports.

If operators do not comply with the warning within the period established by law, the FAS will initiate an antimonopoly case, Zaeva indicated. “The law allows three months for the consideration of the case; if necessary, the period can be extended by six months,” she explained. Based on the results of the consideration of the case, operators may be fined, or the department will apply the rule on transferring unjustifiably received income to the budget.

If operators promptly comply with the order to eliminate signs of violation of antimonopoly legislation, then administrative liability will not arise and no fine will be imposed.

Let us remind you that at the end of June a bill was introduced to the State Duma to abolish national roaming. The document represents amendments to the Law “On Communications”. It stipulates that payment for telephone connections between subscribers within the territory of the Russian Federation should be carried out at a single tariff for the services of the corresponding operator, regardless of the location within the territory of the Russian Federation of both the calling and receiving subscriber.

Previously, FAS representatives had repeatedly promised to solve the problem of domestic roaming, but in early April it became known that the agency had not yet been able to reach an agreement with operators on reducing tariffs for trips around Russia.