The case in which Vodafone Romania appealed a RON 120,3 million fine after being accused of abuse of dominant position in 2011, alongside Orange Romania, is being reopened for the second time, at the initiative of the High Court of Justice and Cassation (ICCJ).
Vodafone Romania appealed the RON 120,3 million fine, which it received from the Competition Council in 2011. This is the second time the case is opened since April 2014. In January 2016, the Bucharest Court of Appeal decided to cut the fine by RON 50 million, to RON 69.7 million. The Competition Council appealed the decision in June 2016.
In February 2011, the Competition Council fined Orange Romania and Vodafone Romania for abuse of dominant position. The fines totaled RON 268.33 million. Orange Romania was fined RON 147.9 million, which represented 3.6 percent of the telecom operator’s turnover in 2010.
In the case of Vodafone Romania, the fine represented 3.45 percent of the company’s turnover in 2010.
In June 2013, the Bucharest Court of Appeals rejected Vodafone Romania’s appeal as unfounded, with the possibility to appeal. One year later, the ICCJ asked for the reopening of the case in which Vodafone Romania appealed the 2011 fine. A similar decision was reached in the case of Orange Romania, in June 2014.
Investigations started in 2006, following complaints by Netmaster Communications SRL. At the time, the Competition Council concluded that Orange and Vodafone refused to provide Netmaster access to their telecom networks. Netmaster had requested them to allow it to connect at the rates set by ANCOM, which was smaller than that those of Orange and Vodafone.