One2One blocks rival access to Oftel report

NEWS Mobile operator, One2One, has succeeded in a high court bid to stop its rivals gaining advantageous access to an Oftel report on connection charges between mobile and fixed line operators. One2One's case against the telecoms regulator was settled during an adjournment yesterday, with the parties agreeing to work out how One2One's terms could be met. The report examines how much the two major UK mobile services, Vodafone and Cellnet, charge for access to their network. It is scheduled to be presented to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission (MMC) today, with Vodafone and Cellnet also due to see it. But because One2One and Orange were not involved in the report, they would have had to wait until January to get access. One2One and Orange were not investigated because they currently charge lower call termination rates. However, the MMC could suggest a price point to the two larger companies that would be well below One2One's rates. One2One claimed this would give its larger rivals an anti-competitive edge. A spokesman said: "They would be free to plan and even start implementing their strategic response to the MMC's verdict before the two newer operators had even had the chance to read the report." Ovum consultant, Parantha Narendran, said: "The fact they are fighting it so hard indicates that One2One is reasonably certain the MMC will accept the report, and that prices will be reduced to below their current level." He added that customers could well see a price drop in fixed-to-mobile calls by the end of the year.