Vodafone’s Czech unit has taken issue with an LTE network-sharing arrangement between two of its main rivals, arguing that the country’s regulator has stipulated that such arrangements should not be exclusive.
O2 and T-Mobile entered into the deal last month, but Vodafone has complained to the Czech anti-monopoly watchdog that the deal is in violation of regulations made by the Czech Telecommunications Office (CTU).
The deal, which covers the entire country apart from Brno and Prague, allows the partners to share radio access equipment. PPF-owned O2 and Deutsche Telekom-owned T-Mobile have both asserted that they will continue to operate separate core networks and follow different business strategies.
The partners have stressed that they will still compete in terms of speed and quality of service, but Vodafone has claimed that the deal will impede competition in the market. The company has submitted documents to the anti-monopoly office that its general director Balesh Sharma claims will provide enough proof of this to prompt an investigation. If this proves inaccurate, Vodafone reportedly will voice its grievances to the European Commission.
