TRC summons Cellcard for questioning

Telecommunication Regulator of Cambodia (TRC) summoned Cellcard operator CamGSM in for questioning over concerns that the company was engaged in predatory pricing. This comes just days after Cellcard unveiled its Osja Xchange plan, an offer that allows customers to exchange $1 for $100 of value for voice and data coverage with an additional bonus of 30 minutes of voice calls every day. The 14-day package effectively allows subscribers to use up to 1,429 minutes of voice and 5 gigabytes of data for just $1. This is compared to Metfone’s 600 minutes of voice and 1.5 gigabytes of data for $1. According to Im Vutha, spokesman of the TRC, Cellcard was called in so that the regulator could investigate whether the mobile operator was offering an unprofitable product at far below market value. While TRC has yet to decide on whether the offer should be scrapped, or if any regulations had been broken, Vutha said all mobile network operators would soon be required to submit profitability statements to ensure that there was no market manipulation or price collusion. (Source: Phnom Penh Post)