Telecoms company fined £100k by regulator

The regulator found Manx Telecom failed to 'negotiate in good faith' with Sure

Manx Telecom has been fined £100,000 by the Isle of Man’s telecommunications regulator for its handling of a competitor's request to connect to a UK provider.

Sure had asked Manx Telecom (MT) to facilitate an interconnection with BT’s sub-sea cable.

In August 2023, Sure formally complained to the Communications and Utilities Regulatory Authority (Cura) over MT's failure to fulfil the request using infrastructure it controlled.

Cura said the firm had "breached its regulatory obligations" by withdrawing the options to make the connection "without justification".

Sure’s access request was ultimately fulfilled by MT.

'Consumer choice'

In its decision notice the regulator said as a condition of MT's operating licence the firm was required to facilitate interconnection requests and conclude agreements "in a reasonable period of time".

"The authority held that the withdrawal of the options for solutions at the two sites where BT has its points of presence on the island was not reasonable," Cura said.

"By withdrawing options presented to Sure and BT during the process without any objective justification, Manx Telecom had breached its regulatory obligations."

"No other operator can provide the access that is required to interconnect with BT," it added.

Responding to the decision, Manx Telecom said it was "proactively taking steps to enhance its processes".

"By collaborating closely with Cura and other operators and implementing new policies to improve future interconnection procedures, the company is demonstrating a strong commitment to collaboration and innovation," it said.

In a statement, Sure said it welcomed the regulator's decision and the "subsequent fulfilment of our access request, which directly supports the delivery of our services to customers".

"Telecommunication services are critical to not only our customers but to the island as a whole, and fair competition is vital for innovation, value for money and consumer choice," it added.