CCP secures partial recovery in ICH penalties

September 2, 2025 (MLN): A partial recovery of Rs 495 million has been made by the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) from Long Distance International (LDI) operators in the International Clearing House (ICH) case.

The amount includes Rs458m from Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) and Rs37m from M/s Link Dot Net.

The recovery comes after the Competition Appellate Tribunal upheld CCP’s order that declared the ICH arrangement illegal and anti-competitive.

Introduced in 2012, the ICH agreement routed all incoming international calls through a single PTCL-controlled gateway.

By fixing termination rates at 8.8 US cents per minute over four times higher than the earlier rate the operators eliminated competition, increased costs for overseas callers and earned revenue windfalls exceeding 300%.

Initially, CCP had imposed penalties amounting to 7.5% of each operator’s annual turnover. The Tribunal later reduced the fines to 2% of ICH-related revenues but directed operators to deposit the penalties within 30 days.

Chairman CCP, Dr. Kabir Sidhu, emphasized the Commission’s commitment to strict enforcement of competition law.

He noted that while business forums may facilitate information sharing, they must not serve as platforms for collusion or price coordination.

He also warned against market abuse, manipulation, exploitation of consumers, and other anti-competitive practices.

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