Colombia: Avantel files suit against competitors

Avantel, Colombia’s newest telephone and 4G service provider, has filed suit against it’s main competitors, Tigo and Movistar. The suit concerns a series of recordings created by these companies, which would play when Avantel customers made calls that must be connected through a competitor’s network.

Colombia’s law establishes rules for shared use of infrastructure (national roaming), meant to aid new operators in launching their services while they build up their own infrastructure. However, Avantel users complained of messages ‘welcoming’ them to Tigo or Movistar’s mobile network, which caused confusion among both customers and service operators.

In response Colombia’s Superintendence for Industry and Commerce has ordered both companies to immediately stop sending the recoding, citing the confusion it may cause among the public. The ruling has also given Avantel legal ground to file a Disloyal Competition suit against it’s rivals.

Full content: Media Telecom

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