Sure must refund overpayments

Wednesday 02 October 2024

Sure has been found guilty of overcharging other licensed operators for using its leased lines, after an investigation by the Guernsey Competition and Regulatory Authority.

The telecoms firm has been issued with a 'final direction' stating the repayments - totalling more than £115,000 - must be made within two months of it being applied.

The GCRA said the investigation centred on Sure's wholesale on-island leased line pricing practices.

The GCRA found that the telecoms firm had overcharged other licensed operators (OLOs) for the on-island wholesale leased lines between 1 January 2021 and 31 July 2022.

"As a result, Sure has been directed to refund the overpayments to affected operators and provide evidence of the refunds to the GCRA within two months," said the GCRA.

"This decision reinforces the GCRA's commitment to fair competition in Guernsey's telecommunications market.

"The GCRA will continue assessing compliance with the previous and current wholesale price control decisions."

The repayments are owed to JT, Newtel, Airtel, Logicalis, and C5.  

This notice was issued days after the States of Guernsey agreed to temporarily suspend the island's competition law so that Sure could buy Airtel Vodafone.

The GCRA was excluded from that decision with the Economic Development committee asking the States to back the move instead while the JCRA approved the move in Jersey.

This was due to the differences between Guernsey and Jersey's telecoms markets with Sure and Airtel together having a 50/50 market share with Jersey Telecom in Jersey, whereas in Guernsey the split is expected to be 80/20 against JT when Sure buys Airtel.

With Guernsey's competition law welcoming three mobile phone operators in the island, the Channel Islands Coop is expected to launch a mobile phone service once Sure has bought Airtel.