Mobilink being investigated for anti-competitive practices

The Business Recorder broke a story about an investigation that has been launched by the Competition Commission of Pakistan into Mobilink’s restrictive trade practices around their Blackberry offerings. The article highlights one specific area of inquiry, which is the inability for Blackberry handsets to access basic GPRS services without activating RIM data services. I think it’s great the commission is calling these practices to attention. For this specific complaint, I don’t know what Mobilink could do to fix things since RIM employs these unfriendly and downright exploitative methods in other markets as well. Perhaps Blackberry will be banned in Pakistan since they cause their hardware – which the customer buys at full price – to essentially stop working unless a monthly data fee is paid to them, over and above the actual cost of GPRS service from the carrier! More on the report after the fold.

Mobilink asked to submit Blackberry solutions

ISLAMABAD (February 04 2008): The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has asked the Pakistan Mobiles Communications Ltd (Mobilink GSM) to submit technical solution of Blackberry handset within a month.

During a hearing here, the CCP also asked the company to clarify whether purchase of Blackberry handhold from Mobilink can access GPRS through operator other than Research in Motions (RIM). The CCP heard the undertaking regarding alleged unreasonably restrictive trade practices on the part of Mobilink GSM with regard to sale of Blackberry handset.