Fixed-line operator Telkom does not have to publish telephone directory information provided by a rival, after winning an appeal to set aside a Competition Tribunal order.
The Competition Appeal Court handed down its decision on Friday and expects to release its reasons in “due course”.
Telkom's appeal to the court to reverse the tribunal's interim relief order against it is part of an ongoing seven-year spat between its directory service division, Trudon, and Port Elizabeth-based competitor Directory Solutions.
The ongoing disagreement hinges on Trudon's refusal to publish information provided to it by Directory Solutions as Trudon sees Directory Solutions as an impostor.
Directory Solutions offers customers its services as a middleman to have their details included in the white pages in bold type. Trudon is 64.9%-owned by Telkom and publishes the official telephone directories, the white and yellow pages, on behalf of the fixed-line operator.
Directory Solutions took Telkom to the competition authorities to force its subsidiary to include Directory Solutions' clients in Telkom's white pages.
The tribunal ordered Telkom to accept Directory Solutions' clients without upfront payments. It also ordered Telkom to publish all subscriber entries provided by Directory Solutions for the regions of the South Cape, Karoo, Boland, West Coast, Johannesburg and the East Rand.
Directory Solutions' interim relief application was in relation to a complaint it has lodged with the commission that Telkom was abusing its dominance. This investigation is ongoing at the commission.
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