OREANDA-NEWS. January 28, 2007. The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) recognized that "Sibirtelecom" OJSC breached Clause 3 Part 1 Article 10 of the Federal Law "On Protection of Competition" (abusing dominant position), reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

The case was processed upon a petition of "Szyaz-Service" CJSC that "Sibirtelecom" OJSC imposed upon "Szyaz-Service" CJSC unfavorable conditions of an agreement on connecting to telecommunication networks, which contravene the existing legislation.

"Sibirtelecom" OJSC breached the law by disconnecting the network of "Szyaz-Service" CJSC in course of pre-contractual negotiations, and, therefore, prevented "Szyaz-Service" CJSC from offering communication services in accordance with license provisions.

In view of "Sibirtelecom" OJSC, disconnecting the communication network of "Szyaz-Service" CJSC during the period of pre-contractual negotiations was justified, as at the time of disconnection, the operators did not have a valid contract for connection and interoperation of telecommunication networks.

However, no provision in the existing statutory acts allows disconnecting service providers from a public communication network.

Having considered the case, FAS Russia recognized that "Sibirtelecom" OJSC violated the antimonopoly legislation and directed to eliminate the violations.