Russia Antitrust Body Suspects iPhone Collusion At Mobile Firms
October 12 2011 - 6:38AM
Dow Jones News
Russia's antitrust authority Wednesday said it suspects two of
the country's mobile telephone companies of price collusion on
Apple Inc. (AAPL) iPhones.
OAO Mobile TeleSystems (MBT) and VimpelCom Ltd. (VIP) have
identical prices for iPhone 4 smart phones at the majority of sales
outlets, according to Russia's Federal Anti-Monopoly Service, which
cited material from Apple saying wholesale prices haven't changed
since September 2010 and that there are no price controls on the
phones.
An investigation by the authority focused on the iPhone 4 32
gigabyte Black and the iPhone 4 16 gigabyte Black, which are listed
at 31,890 rubles ($1,019) and RUB26,690 ($853), respectively, on
the Mobile TeleSystems website. Unlocked Apple iPhones sold in
Russia are among the most expensive in the world.
A spokeswoman for MTS couldn't immediately be reached for
comment on the investigation, and a spokeswoman for VimpelCom
declined to comment immediately, saying a statement would be
released later.
An Apple spokeswoman in Russia didn't immediately return
telephone calls or an email seeking comment.
-By William Mauldin, Dow Jones Newswires; +7 495 232-9192,
william.mauldin@dowjones.com
(Olga Razumovkskaya in Moscow contributed to this article.)
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