Major Ukraine Mobile Cos to Offer Tariffs Without Connection Fee

KIEV, Jan 19 (Prime-Tass) -- Ukraine's largest mobile operators Kyivstar and UMC have decided to introduce tariff plans without connection fees, the two operators said in separate statements earlier this week.

The announcements came after the operators' long feud with Ukraine's Antimonopoly Committee, which first requested that the operators abolish connection fees in early 2005.

UMC has already introduced a tariff plan without connection fees called Jeans Light. The price of a call with that tariff plan amounts to one hryvna per minute, UMC said. The price of one minute with the Jeans tariff plan, with a connection fee of 0.27 hryvnas, varies from 0.20 to 0.75 hryvnas per minute.

Kyivstar plans to introduce its tariff plan without connection fees called DJuice Fresh on January 22, the company said. The price of one minute was set at 0.9 hryvnas per minute, while subscribers to the DJuice tariff plan, with a connection fee of 0.27 hryvnas, pay 0.45 to 1.5 hryvnas per minute.

UMC and Kyivstar, which together control over 80% of the market, each introduced connection fees in 2001, while other mobile operators do not have such fees.

(5.05 hryvnas - U.S. $1)

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Posted to the site on 20th January 2007