Expensive week for telecommunications companies

The MCA yesterday fined GO plc €15,000, after upholding a complaint by Melita about bundled services.

 According to Melita’s complaints, Go had failed to seek authorisation to include new services, including free talk-time, as per a decision taken in September 2006.

And in a separate incident, Vodafone was this week ordered by the Civil Court to pay insurance company GasanMamo €26,865 in damages caused by a bolt of lightning.

The Vodafone antenna, which was installed on the Millenia building in Marsa, was struck by a lightning bolt during a storm in February 2002,

The lightning bolt travelled through the electrical and telephone cables causing damages to the offices in the complex.damages amounting to €26,865 were covered by GasanMamo, with whom the company was insured.

GasanMamo opened a case against Vodafone as precautions were not taken and adequate lightning protection earthing was not installed on the antenna.

An expert in the field reported in court that the higher the antenna was placed the greater the risk of being struck by lightning. He also testified that adequate systems of protection have been in existence for 200 years. Vodafone however had only installed a normal earthing system, which is not adequate in the case of lightning.

The court, presided over by Justice Joseph Azzopardi, declared Vodafone had taken a risk and had to pay for the damages incurred.

Vodafone was also ordered to pay interest from the date of the storm.