Watchdog orders Sure to refund overpayments

The Guernsey Competition and Regulatory Authority said Sure "overcharged" other licensed operators for on-island wholesale leased lines between January 2021 and July 2022

A major telecoms and IT company has been told to refund overpayments made by other operators it had leased services to.

The Guernsey Competition and Regulatory Authority (GCRA) said it issued a final direction to Sure Guernsey following an investigation into its wholesale on-island leased line pricing practices.

The watchdog found Sure "overcharged" five other licensed operators for lines between 1 January 2021 and 31 July 2022, and directed it to refund a total of £115,360.

Legal and regulatory director at Sure Chris Durnell said it would carefully review the detail of the decision before "issuing a formal response".

'Assessing compliance'

The GCRA found Sure had failed to comply with the "terms of a price control for on-island wholesale leased lines", meaning it had charged the customers too much.

In a statement, the GCRA said: "As a result, Sure has been directed to refund the overpayments to affected operators and provide evidence of the refunds to the GCRA within two months.

"This decision reinforces the GCRA's commitment to fair competition in Guernsey's telecommunications market.

"The GCRA will continue assessing compliance with the previous and current wholesale price control decisions."