Last checked at 
(Adds comment)
ROME, July 12 (Reuters) - An Italian court has annulled a
fine of 228 million euros ($271 million) slapped on Italy's top
four phone operators last year over a breach of competition
rules for collectively agreeing to raise their prices.
Italy's competition watchdog had claimed Telecom Italia
, Vodafone, CK Hutchison’s unit Wind Tre and
Swisscom’s Fastweb had agreed to raise tariffs after
being forced to scrap a billing scheme based on 28 days rather
than a full month.
But a Rome-based administrative court said in a series of
rulings published on Monday, and seen by Reuters, that the
antitrust had not shown the companies were not acting within
their rights.
The ruling prompted quick reaction from consumer groups.
"It's a disgrace! That the legal system in this country
doesn't work is well known but we've now touched the bottom,"
Massimiliano Dona, president of consumer association Unione
Nazionale Consumatori, was quoted by Italian media as saying.
TIM and Vodafone declined to comment. The other companies
were not immediately available for a comment.
($1 = 0.8422 euros)
(Reporting by Marco Carta, writing by Stephen Jewkes, editing
by Agnieszka Flak)
