Sonatel risks blocked accounts over ARTP bill

Senegalese operator Sonatel paid XOF1.9 billion (around EUR 3 million) to telecom regulator ARTP, but an estimated XOF13 billion is still outstanding, according to Sud Quotidien, citing a union representative. The money came from affiliate payments (Orange Mali, Orange Guinea and others) Mamadou Aidara Diop said "We can only pay what we have". Sonatel ran the risk of seeing its accounts frozen. Sonatel (Orange Senegal) contributes around 12 percent of Senegal's GDP and injects over XOF 200 billion a year in state coffers. The ARTP bill comprises an estimated XOF 5.2 billion for a tax on incoming calls, countered by Sonatel for its 25 percent traffic increase, described as 'fantastical'. Foreign operators are supposed to pay Sonatel XOF 141,035 per minute since October 2011. That month, Sonatel owed XOF 4 billion in penalties, according to the operator's own statistics. A 15 percent fine was imposed by ARTP in mid November 2011 and threatens to block Sonatel's accounts.