Tele2 puts pressure on TPSA by offering 37% cheaper long-distance calls

Swedish telecom operator Tele2 has lowered charges on long-distance calls inside Poland by 19% to zl.0.37 per minute, 37% less than Telekomunikacja Polska S.A. (TP SA). Tele2 offers the long-distance service using Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to customers in Warsaw, Poznan and Gdansk regions. "Long-distance phone connections [offered by TP SA] are over 40% more expensive in Poland than in European Union countries. This is why we were able to lower our charges," said Fredrik Nilson, general director of Tele2 Polska. TP SA was recently punished with a record fine of zl.54 million by the Competition and Consumer Protection Office (UOKiK) for excessive pricing of long-distance connections. Competition from such operators as Tele2 and three other companies which have been granted long-distance licenses but have yet to begin operating, should help bring down prices. In a January interview with Puls Biznesu, TP SA president Pawel Rzepka admitted that long-distance prices could fall by some 50% over the next three years, while independent analysts say even a 60% drop is possible. Tele2 plans to invest some $50 million in Poland over the next three years. (Puls Biznesu, p.7) T.J.