Saudi Arabia: Issued Ruling in GAC Investigation into Saudi Telecom Company for Violations of the Competition Act

On 18 January 2021, the General Authority for Competition (GAC) issued a ruling in its investigation into Saudi Telecom Company (STC). The GAC found that STC violated the Competition Law and imposed a fine of SAR 10,000,000. STC has been found to have abused its dominant market position in a number of ways. Firstly, the STC imposed specific obligations concerning buying and selling on other commercial entities that weakened the companies' position in the market. Additionally, the STC refused to do business with another company without a legal justification. The GAC believes that the STC wanted to reduce the company's ability to enter the market. This ruling is supported by decision 4879 of the Administrative Court of Appeals in Riyadh.