Orange Mali has reportedly lodged an appeal with the country’s Supreme Court with a view to overturning a fine levied by local telecoms regulator the Autorite Malienne de Regulation des Telecom/Postes (AMRTP) earlier this month, according to Agence Ecofin.
As previously reported by CommsUpdate, at the beginning of June 2014 the AMRT informed the local subsidiary of France-based Orange Group that it was being fined XAF6.86 billion (USD14.23 million) for illegally using mobile bandwidth for a fixed line service; the fine was said to have subsequently been increased to XAF11.4 billion after Orange Mali refused to pay. The regulator accused Orange Mali of breaking local telecoms rules by using a mobile phone platform for its ‘Douba’ branded fixed line service, prompting Sekou Drame, Orange Mali’s deputy managing director, to reject claims that his company had broken the law, with the executive noting: ‘Orange Mali would not allow itself to break the law in Mali … The ‘Douba’ service is regularly offered to clients in line with the rules that govern this sector.’