INT penalises mobile trio for breaking advertising rules

Tunisian telecoms watchdog the National Telecommunications Commission (INT, Instance Nationale des Telecommunications) has taken to task the nation’s trio of mobile providers for breaking rules obliging them to clearly display the fees and conditions of contracts. On 13 April Ooredoo Tunisia (previously known as Tunisiana) was issued with an order to ‘end immediately the illegal practices related to non-compliance with the conditions of advertising rates and conditions of commercial offers for the general public in a transparent and clear manner.’ In its warning, the INT pointed out that it had previously sent a formal notice to the cellco on 12 September 2014. Tunisie Telecom (TT), meanwhile, received a fine on the same date for TND126.66 million (USD65.1 million) – equivalent to 0.01% of the operator’s turnover for 2012 – for the same offensive, although the regulator noted that in addition to a warning in September last year, it had also sent a further order to the cellco in January 2015. A week after Ooredoo and TT, on 23 April INT doled out punishment to Orange Tunisia, levying a fine of TND29.98 million (0.01% of its total revenue in 2013) for the same infraction.