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Egypt: Landmark decision backs antitrust authority over wireless market

By  |  June 2, 2014

The Egyptian Competition Authority received a victory Sunday when a federal court upheld regulators’ fine of $10.3 million on the Egyptian Company for Mobile Services, according to reports.

The fine was originally imposed for the wireless company’s lack of cooperation with antitrust officials when the Authority requested information from the company. Reports say the wireless operator, also known as Mobinil, failed to provide the information.

While the company can appeal the verdict, the court’s backing of the fines are the first instance of such a ruling for the country.

Mobinil originally appealed the fine by challenging the Authority’s jurisdiction over Egypt’s wireless market. The company argued it was solely under the regulation of the National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency, a claim struck down by the court, which found the ECA overrides the authority of the telecoms regulator.

Full content: Ahram

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