OREANDA-NEWS. March 05, 2010. The Office of the Federal Antimonopoly Service in the Khanty-Mansiisk Autonomous District [Okrug] (the Khanty-Mansiisk OFAS Russia) initiated a case against "Uralsvyazinform" OJSC for the signs of violating the antimonopoly law. OFAS Russia suspects that the company violated the law by fixing different rates for the same services - providing Internet access using xDSL technology (Part 1 Article 10 of the Federal Law "On Protection of Competition"), reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

The case was initiated upon petitions from residents of the towns of Surgut, Lyantor and Lyagenpas in the Khanty-Mansiisk Autonomous District - Yugra. Petitioners requested to check whether "Uralsvyazinform" OJSC complied with the antimonopoly law in terms of fixing the rates for providing Internet access.

The Khanty-Mansiisk OFAS Russia established the fact that "Uralsvyazinform" OJSC dominates the market of providing Internet access using xDSL technology within the geographic boundaries of the Khanty-Mansiisk Autonomous District - Yugra.

Investigating the petitions, OFAS Russia discovered that the Tyumen Region, the Sverdlovsk Region and the Khanty-Mansiisk Autonomous District – Yugra have different rates for providing Internet access using xDSL technology. For instance, in Tyumen the minimum monthly advance payment under the pricing plan "Svobodno 256" is 500 Rubles a month. In Khanty-Mansiisk the minimum monthly advance payment under the same pricing plan "Svobodno 256" is increased to 800 Rubles a month.

The case will be heard on 22nd March 2010. Should the fact of violating the Federal Law "On Protection of Competition" be established, the Khanty-Mansiisk OFAS Russia will issue a mandatory determination to "Uralsvyazinform" OJSC to stop violating the antimonopoly law.

"Different subscriber's fee for the same pricing plans, fixed by "Uralsvyazinform" OJSC in different constituent territories of the Urals Federal District infringes the interests of the residents of the Khanty-Mansiisk Autonomous District - Yugra. These actions created important unfavourable social consequences, in the form of paying overrated prices for Internet access", said Nadezhda Igosheva, the Head of the Khanty-Mansiisk OFAS Russia.