Bahrain regulator accuses Batelco, STC over call charges

Bahrain regulator accuses Batelco, STC over call charges

Bahrain's telecoms regulator has issued notices to Bahrain Telecommunications Co (Batelco) and Saudi Telecom Co unit Viva, accusing them of anti-competitive pricing on international calls to Asia.

September 6, 2011 4:13 by Reuters

The two operators have until October 13 to respond, after which the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) will decide whether to impose any penalties, a TRA spokesman said.

“The notices allege the operators’ pricing constituted an abuse of dominance in the international mobile telecommunications market,” it said in an emailed statement.

“TRA believes that such pricing destroys the market’s forces and hinders competition between operators by reducing the opportunities for fair competition in the market, and harms the interests of consumer in the long run.”

The notice relates to tariffs to several Asian countries, including India, Pakistan, the Philippines and Bangladesh. Non-Bahrainis make up more than a third of Bahrain’s estimated 1.2 million people, with a significant minority coming from Asia.

Bahrain has three mobile carriers: Batelco, Viva and Kuwait’s Zain , while there are more than a dozen companies who sell prepaid cards for international calls.
Batelco and STC were not immediately available for comment. (By Matt Smith; Editing by David Holmes)