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SPTC GIVEN A LIFELINE

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MBABANE – It may not be victory but it gives Swaziland Posts and Telecommunications Corporation workers reason to put more effort into their works.


This is the Swaziland Communications Commission’s decision to institute investigations into the Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) between the Swaziland Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (SPTC) and Swazi MTN Limited.


The decision to investigate comes at a time when most of the workers had indicated that they were ready to jump ship as the company’s future looked bleak following the introduction of Fixed Mobile services by both Swazi MTN and Swazi Mobile.


Though noting that the investigation had not even started, it was enough to assure them all was not lost and that government was finally coming to the party in as far as ensuring that a State-owned enterprise as theirs, was not forced to close shop.


The confidence and willingness to soldier on has been brought about by General Notice No.4, 2018, which states that the investigation is being carried out in terms of Section 36 (3) (A) of the Swaziland Communications Commission Act, 2013.


This is the JVA between shareholders of Swaziland MTN Limited pertaining to conduct preventing competition in the electronic communications sector between Swazi MTN and SPTC, market allocation between the two complaint assessment.
According to the notice, published in the Times of Swaziland yesterday, on or about January 31, 2018, the commission received a complaint from the SPTC against Swazi MTN, operators duly licensed by the commission.


Agreement


“The complaint filed with the commission emanates from the provisions of the Joint Venture Agreement, which was concluded by the shareholders of Swazi MTN Limited on the 31st July 1998, which SPTC alleges precludes them from venturing into certain electronic communications technologies such as mobile communications products and services.”


It continues to state that SPTC contends that some provisions of the JVA were now illegal in the face of the new legal dispensation in the communications sector introduced by the Electronic Communications Act and the Swaziland Communications Act, 2013, respectively.
SPTC is said to have further alleged the said provisions were uncompetitive and give MTN an unfair competitive advantage over them as they compete in their respective businesses.


The commission states that it received and accepted the complaint and is undertaking an investigation with the view to resolve the matter in accordance with the applicable legal framework.


For the purposes of this matter, the mandate of the commission is set out in the Swaziland Communications Commission Act.
The commission states that it shall complete the investigation within a reasonable period but not beyond six months from the date of submission of the complaint and issue its decision accordingly.

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