TIM, Vodafone fined EUR1m

Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) and Vodafone Italy have been fined EUR500,000 each for making changes to their tariffs without providing sufficient information to customers. Dow Jones Newswires cites a report from the Italian consumers association Altroconsumo which revealed that it was given notice of the fines after it complained to the country’s antitrust authority in August last year that the two operators were applying unfair commercial practices on price rises of their mobile tariffs. According to Altroconsumo calculations, the changes in tariffs cost clients between EUR49 and EUR83 a year and in some cases increased the cost of single calls by 100%. TIM says it will appeal the fine while Vodafone has still to comment.