Competition chief 'shares De Lille's concerns'

Shan Ramburuth, the Competition Commissioner, has told Patricia de Lille, the leader of the Independent Democrats (ID), that he shares her concern over the high costs of telecommunications, and has forwarded her complaint about cellphone charges to his enforcement division.

De Lille said on Thursday she is delighted with the commissioner’s swift response and that he also told her the commission has initiated some inquiries in the telecoms sector.

He offered to share the results of these inquiries with her. The ID leader said she would make arrangements to see him shortly.

De Lille has laid a formal complaint with the commission urging it to investigate, “whether the [cellphone] operators, particularly the dominant players, are acting anti-competitively or are guilty of any prohibited practices”.

In her complaint to the commission, a copy of which was attached to the statement, De Lille says South Africa’s cellphone operators were charging about 1nbsp;000% more than India’s cellphone operators.

Local interconnection rates had increased 500% over the 12-year period ending in 2007, and 515% between 1998 and 2001.—I-Net Bridge