FIXED LINED TELEPHONY SERVICES MAY RISE IN PRICE IN YEREVAN AND FALL IN PRICE IN REGIONS
arminfo
2008-06-03 14:11:00
ArmInfo. ArmenTel intends to introduce a single tariff for fixed-line
telephony in Armenia. As a result, the tariffs may rise in Yerevan
and considerably fall in regions, ArmenTel (brand Beeline) Director
for Operations Alexander Birman told ArmInfo. He explained that
the fixed-line telecommunication tariffs in regions re rather
high and people prefer mobile communication or refuse from the
telecommunication services at all. ‘The new republican tariff will
make calls more accessible for regions>. He said that the new proposal
will be shortly discussed with the regulating agencies, transport
and communication ministry and the consumers rights protecting
societies. A. Birman outlined that the interests of subscribers
are prior for ArmenTel. ‘Given the general rise of tariffs for food
products, electricity and others, we believe it wrong from the social
point of view raising the telecommunication tariffs>, he said. At the
same time he outlined that tariffs of internal calls have always been
so low that did not fund the infrastructure. The inter-city calls
were the key income, which however are no longer profitable because
of the calling card platforms. A. Birman mentioned that local calls
for subscribers of analogous networks are still free. He outlined that
analogous networks serve almost half of the company’s subscribers. ‘If
the tariffs are left unchanged, we will have no funds to install new
equipment and modernize the network. In such conditions, the optimal
decision may be found through a constructive dialogue reckoning with
the opinions of all the parties interested’, A. Birman said.