Laws and fairness in Poland’s wireless sector are a hot topic this month, as three separate authorities investigate current business practices.
A Polish news publication reported the Anti-Monopoly Office in Poland has its eye on state-owned telephone operator Telecommunickacja Polska S.A., which is suspected of exploiting its monopoly position in determining interconnect rates it will charge cellular operators.
Poland’s Supreme Board of Inspection (NIK) is examining certain service issues with Poland’s analog cellular operator, Centertel. TPSA owns 51 percent of Centertel, while Ameritech International and France Telecom each hold 24.5 percent ownership. The Polish paper said NIK is questioning Centertel’s network security, quality of service in processing customer complaints and whether its business activities fully comply with specified license terms.
Professor Adam Zielinski, Poland’s ombudsman, reportedly believes the Polish Ministry violated anti-trust regulations by restricting certain activities of the two new Global System for Mobile communications cellular licensees, Polska Telefonia Cyfrowa and Polkomtel S.A. Within their license documentation, PTC and Polkomtel are forbidden to use transmission lines other than those of TPSA, which inhibits further market entry by other parties, he said, and consolidates TPSA’s telecom monopoly.
