Vodafone to stay mum over call prices

Vodafone has won its legal battle to keep confidential the price its customers pay for landline-to-mobile phone calls.

The Commerce Commission determined in June that landline-to-mobile charges, or "mobile termination rates", were too high and recommended the Government regulate to lower the price.

Mobile termination fees are charged by mobile companies to fixed-line operators such as Telecom to end calls on their networks. Vodafone provided information on its mobile termination rates to Government officials, including an unnamed minister, in July on the understanding it was confidential. That information has now been passed on to the commission which wants to release it as part of a report to the Government.

Vodafone sought an injunction to stop the commission releasing the information and had its case heard in the High Court at Wellington last week.

Justice Ron Young said yesterday that Vodafone had proved its case that the information was confidential.

- NZPA