Landline charges to go up

THE CYPRUS Telecommunications Authority (CyTA) will announce its new rates on Monday, which will come into effect as of November 1.

Fixed rates for landline telecommunication will increase by 17 per cent, while there will be a 25 per cent reduction on household packages.

CyTA relayed its new packages to the Telecommunications Regulator last Wednesday, who announced his decision on the matter yesterday.

Fixed monthly rates for landlines will increase by 17 per cent (£1.20), taking the monthly rental fee up to £8.15 from £6.95.

Although call charges could have been reduced to 0.66 cents per minute, which was the minimum set by the regulator, they will be reduced by 0.3 cents per minute. Peak time calls will cost 0.76 cents a minute.

Off-peak prices are also expected to be reduced.

CyTA has also prepared a package that would offer 4,000 minutes for £9.95, but this was rejected by the regulator.

Regarding business packages, the regulator approved two of the authority’s proposed packages, while he requested more information on a third.

Fixed rates for people with low incomes will increase from £3.47 to £4.

CyTA is now concerned the new rates could lead to a number of landline disconnections, especially as main competitor PrimeTel is offering a much more lucrative deal with its triple play package (telephone-internet-television).

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.