30 Nov 2004

Fiji phone company moves to block cheap phone calls

12:44 pm on 30 November 2004

The monopoly Telecom Fiji has blocked a plan by Fiji International Telecommunications, FINTEL, to cut some overseas call costs by up to 93%.

The Fiji Times reports that FINTEL's World Talk International Calling Card would have seen overseas call rates drop by between 83 and 93% to countries such as Australia, New Zealand, the United States and India.

The cards were aimed at tourists and Fiji nationals travelling overseas.

But Telecom Fiji blocked their introduction because it feared the cards would fall into the hands of people in Fiji where the monopoly charges some of the highest rates in the world for overseas calls.

Telecom Fiji, which owns 51% of FINTEL, has confirmed blocking the move, adding that the cheap cards would have encroached on its domestic market.