Will calls to other mobile operators' networks become cheaper?

Belarusian government wants to regulate tariffs for mobile communication. In particular, this concerns prices for traffic between the networks of mobile operators. The officials think they are unreasonably high. The Council of Ministers included “traffic admission between the networks of mobile cell communication operators for one minute of connection” into the list of services, the tariffs for which are regulated by the Ministry of Economics, by its Decree No. 191 dated February 15. 

However, how exactly the state is going to normalize the tariffs for mobile communication? Euroradio had to wait for any comments from the officials for more than a week. In the end, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Communications Ela Chazava told us about the new decree.

Ela Chazava: “The Decree of the Council of Ministers No. 191 date came into force. At present moment, they are clarifying the means for regulation of tariffs. This may be establishment of fixed prices, price limits, and the order of definition and implementation of tariff prices. This decree will allow not only to decrease the cost of mobile operators’ services, but will also help to create conditions for new operators to emerge at the Belarusian market”.

We can make a conclusion from this comment that the way of regulation of prices at the mobile communication market is still unknown. Correspondingly, it is also still unknown how strongly the prices are going to be decreased and whether they will be decreased at all. At the same time, it is planned that the authorities will regulate the prices for calling from one network to another starting from February 1, 2012.

Representatives of the joint limited liability partnership “Mobile Telesystems” have told Euroradio that they have “no information with regard to this decision”, right after adoption of the new decree.

Minimal price for calling to another operator’s network amounts to 60 roubles per minute at the moment, while the biggest price for the same is 420 roubles per minute, the MTS representatives added.

Representatives of the foreign enterprise “Velcom” were surprised by such a decree. Like, they create new tariffs all the time to make it easier for subscribers, the company’s informational center said.

“It’s good that you told me this, as I didn’t know it. The company introduces new tariffs constantly; we are trying to compensate the fact that the existing tariffs might be inconvenient for someone”.

The cheapest call to another network on “Velcom” costs 199 roubles per minute, the most expensive one – 460 roubles, the operator’s representative informed.

Mobile operators do not comment upon the new decree, referring to absence of information and clear recommendations in this regard.

The Ministry of Economics will have to put the decree No. 191 into practice. However, its representatives failed to explain how the tariffs would be regulated and which prices the Belarusians should expect in 2012, at the moment of March 4.

Photo by: mobiltelefon.ru