Mobile companies in Albania may be fined for increasing prices through secret deals

 

 Mobile operators in Albania have 5 days deadline to resume the previous prices, otherwise, they will face fines from the Albanian Competition Authority. The three companies in the Albanian market - Vodafone, ALBtelekom, and Telecom - increased the prices of monthly packages by ALL 200 within two weeks, followed by doubling the minimum recharge value to ALL 200.

This sparked strong reactions from consumers who faced the new prices, bringing the complaint of the Albanian Consumer Center to the Competition Authority. The latter, after reviewing the complaints received and following a market monitoring, decided to open a preliminary investigation into the possibility of restricting competition through prohibited agreements between the three operators, A2News reports.

The investigation will be extended until March 31, a time when companies should suspend the growth of prepaid packages, as they will be fined up to 10% of their annual turnover. This is not the first time the mobile market in Albania has been subject to investigations on secret deals. In 2017, operators changed their monthly packages, making them to a 28-day deadline. Following the investigation, the Competition ordered the resume of the 30-day packages.