NOM seeks zl.81 million in damages from TPSA over service launch delays

Independent telecom company NOM yesterday demanded zl.81 million in damages from Telekomunikacja Polska (TPSA), according to unofficial sources quoted by Gazeta Wyborcza. NOM accuses the telecom giant of hampering the launch of its long-distance telephone service. At the beginning of last year, the Telecommunications Ministry selected three companies that would compete with TPSA on the long-distance market, and planned that they would begin operating a few months later. However, after the government first delayed the granting of the concessions, next TPSA prolonged the talks on the conditions for providing its competitors with connections. As a result, NOM was unable to launch its service until July 1 this year. In a letter sent to TPSA yesterday, NOM accuses the telecom giant of deliberately preventing it from launching its service. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 17) P.W.