Competition agency recommends MTS Ukraine, Kyivstar to reduce tariffs for economically justifiable ones

The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine has recommended private joint-stock company MTS Ukraine and Kyivstar to reduce mobile communications tariffs to economically justifiable ones, reads a report of the committee issued on Thursday.

The committee revealed that in 2012 the operators increase the cost of some services. In particular, Kyivstar increased subscriber's rental for some tariff plans by 25%, the cost of SMS messages grew by 28% and MMS – by 33%. MTS Ukraine increase the price of SMS messages by 22%, MMS by 20% and the cost of calls in its network – by 50% and to the networks of other operators – by 20%.

"The growth in the cost of mobile communications services was very rapid compared to the growth in the index of consumer prices of goods and services in Ukraine. There are no economic grounds for the increase the tariffs," reads the report.

The committee gave the operators 15 days to bring their tariffs to economically justifiable levels.