ISLAMABAD: The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has collected Rs. 20.4 million in penalties from telecom operators, with Rs. 19 million recovered from Multinet (Pvt.) Limited and Rs. 1.4 million from Voice Communications, bringing the total recoveries to Rs. 772 million. These penalties stem from the International Clearing House (ICH) case, where fourteen Long Distance International (LDI) operators were found to have colluded to eliminate competition in the international telephony market.
In 2012, the ICH arrangement mandated that all incoming international calls be routed through a single gateway operated by Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), resulting in fixed high call termination rates. This setup reduced market efficiency, prompting the CCP to investigate and impose penalties for cartelization and abuse of dominance.
The Competition Appellate Tribunal (CAT) later upheld the CCP’s findings and adjusted the penalty to two percent of the revenues generated through the ICH. While some companies have appealed the CAT’s decision to the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the CCP has continued to pursue recoveries in line with the law, as no restraining order has been issued.
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