Russia: Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia found MTS in violation of competition law over mobile service tariff increases

On 3 October 2024, the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia (FAS) found PJSC MTS to have violated Clause 1, Part 1, Article 10 of the Federal Law “On Protection of Competition” (Federal Law No. 135-FZ of 26 July 2006) following an investigation into pricing practices for mobile services. The investigation examined tariff increases implemented by PJSC MTS in April and May 2024, during which the company raised mobile service prices by an average of 8% for more than 30 million subscribers. FAS concluded that the price increase was economically unjustified and infringed on the interests of consumers. As a result, FAS issued a binding order requiring PJSC MTS to eliminate the identified violations, reduce the affected tariffs, and transfer the income obtained as a result of the unlawful pricing practices to the federal budget.