05/02/2019
8620 times read
05/02/2019
8620 times read
Bid to discuss possibility of finding a compromise
KUWAIT CITY, Feb 4: Minister of Commerce and Industry and Minister of State for Services Khaled Al-Roudhan will meet this week with representatives of telecommunications companies and major Internet service providers, reports Al-Jarida quoting informed sources.
The sources pointed out the meeting aims to discuss the possibility of finding a compromise between the companies and the Ministry of Services, after the ministry took a decision to raise the rent value on the spaces and towers used by these companies in different locations to 400 percent.
Sources noted the meeting will provide more than one solution to this issue, especially as the ministry has already begun to collect the money as per the new resolution, while companies refuse to abide by this decision which was issued at the end of last year, and applied on companies in January.
The sources pointed out that a number of companies raised the idea of the possibility of reducing the areas that are exploited in some locations, and only use some specific sites which absorb the devices of these companies, and this will negatively affect the revenues of the ministry against those services, pointing out that companies will ask the ministry to stop the decision for further study, reduce the new pricing in a manner that is suitable to all parties.
Sources explained that the meeting, which was scheduled for last Tuesday and was postponed due to the minister’s prior commitments, comes after a letter addressed to the Minister calling for reconsideration of the decision, and find radical solutions that preserve the rights of the ministry and companies and customers.