URT ruling promises cheaper peak hour phone charges

Telephone charges during peak hours look set to fall, following a ruling by the Telecommunications Regulatory Office (URT) in a dispute between Polska Telefonia Cyfrowa (PTC), owner of mobile phone operator Era GSM, and industry giant Telekomunikacja Polska (TPSA). The telecoms regulatory body's decision relates to maximum price levels, the subject of a three-month feud between PTC and TPSA. Information obtained by Rzeczpospolita suggests that the URT has ordered a cut in what TPSA charges PTC for peak-hour connections, from zl.0.068 to zl.0.032 per minute. Although the decision affects only Era GSM directly, according to Rzeczpospolita there is no reason why other independent operators should continue to accept the higher price levels. Marcin Gruszka, spokesman for long-distance telecoms company NOM, told Zycie he hopes the ruling will also apply to NOM and its customers. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B2; Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 26; Zycie, p. 10) M.T.K.