The Russian anti-monopoly authority (FAS) demanded earlier this week that telecommunications regulator Roskomnadzor cancel its recent decision to change tender conditions for the allocation of GSM frequencies in 16 regions.
Roskomnadzor announced earlier this month last-minute changes in the conditions of four tenders, to be held in April. A range of Russian operators, including both the leading ones and subsidiaries of Tele2 Russia, were applying for these frequencies. With the applications for three of the four tenders already having been submitted, Roskomnadzor said it made its late decision in order to avoid the creation of unequal conditions among applicants, thereby curtailing the possibility of further legal disputes.
According to FAS, on the contrary, changing tender rules after bids have been received creates an unequal situation, since companies are not allowed to alter their bids. In addition, argues FAS, to no longer place restrictions on operators already owning 3G licences in a particular region would increase the risk of a single company controlling too large a frequency spectrum locally.
Roskomnadzor’s move was seen by some as increasing the chances for MTS and VimpelCom, two leading Russian operators, to receive licenses in the only remaining regions they don’t already operate in, at the expense of regional operators.
Source: CNews.ru
