Mobile phone companies fined: official

KABUL): Some mobile phone companies have been fined up to 51 million afghanis ($1,106,290) and others warned of their licenses being suspended over low quality services, an official said on Sunday.

The companies fined over the past four years included of AWCC, Roshan, Etisalat and MTN, the acting head Afghanistan Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, Khair Mohammad Faizi, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

The firms were fined in line with the communication services law over the issue of unregistered SIM cards and maintaining low quality services, he said.

“In case they do not improve services, their licenses will be suspected or canceled,” Faizi warned. However, he said no firm had so far paid the fine and the case was referred to court.

In 2007, Roshan was fined 50 million afghanis for providing mobile internet services to its consumers without permission from the authorities concerned, he said. “This case is also referred to court after the company disagreed to pay the fine,” the official said.

Three internet providing companies were fined up to three million afghanis, but none of them had paid the fine, Faizi said. A number of internet providers were also fined 25,000 afghanis each for failing to block prone websites.

Since 2007, as many as 18 illegal SIM cards worth millions of afghanis were detected and seized, he said.

am/ma

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