Telecoms company in Guernsey to appeal near £3m fine

The watchdog found the companies broke competition law through undisclosed communications in December 2021

Telecoms firm Sure said it planned to appeal a fine of almost £3m for breaching competition rules.

Sure and JT were found to have worked together to control the provision of mobile networks in Guernsey, an investigation found in 2021.

The Guernsey Competition and Regulatory Authority (GCRA) fined Sure £2,962,632 and JT £439,608 on Thursday.

Sure Group CEO Alistair Beak said it had "acted in accordance with the spirit and the letter of the law".

'Chilling message'

He said: "This penalty is based on an investigation process which, in our view, was completely flawed from the outset and we are appealing through the Royal Court.

"We are steadfast in our belief that we have done nothing wrong; at all times Sure has acted in accordance with the spirit and letter of the law."

Mr Beak said the fine was "extraordinary".

"The magnitude of the fine is extraordinary and one which sends a potentially chilling message on conducting business and attracting investment into Guernsey," he said.

Michael Byrne from the GCRA said the evidence was "clear".

"There is pretty clear evidence that we are dealing with two significant businesses in Guernsey that are competitors and that they have effectively colluded to bring about outcomes in their commercial interests," he said.

BBC Guernsey has approached JT for comment.

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