Tet accuses Balticom of illegal damage and use of its optical internet network

Latvian service provider, technology and entertainment company, Tet has filed a statement to Latvia’s state police claiming telco provider JSC Balticom caused deliberate damage to Tet’s optical Internet network, that has affected more than 300 households in the city Ventspils.

According to a survey carried out by Tet, deliberate damage and unauthorised use of its optical Internet network that benefits Balticom was detected.

The stairwells of apartment buildings where the last section of the optical Internet cable owned by Tet were illegally cut and connected to the Balticom network, the company claims.

In an official statement Tet said, “by carrying out these illegal activities, Balticom used the property owned by Tet for its own commercial purposes. Balticom organises the provision of its services in an illegal manner, receiving relevant wholesale services without permission and without paying for them.”

The service provider made further claims that representatives of Balticom acknowledged these violations during a meeting between the two companies on the matter, but has continued to cause more damages.

Tet has submitted statements to the police for damages done to 13 addresses and said it will contact the police for the remaining cases in the future.

Tet customer care director Alla Krūmiņa commented: “The competitive battle in the telecommunications sector has always been fierce, however, this is the first time we are facing such cynical deliberate damage to the infrastructure of another operator and threats against taking action to recover our property. It could be said that we are currently experiencing a kind of legal racketeering, as a result of which the residents of Ventspils are also being deceived. Thank you to the representatives of the State Police, for whom this process requires a lot of resources, which they could use in a more rational way, and who tirelessly make trips to the places of events in order to record violations and take care of compliance with the rule of law.”

Digital TV Europe has contacted Balticom for a comment.