By Tiisetso Motsoeneng
JOHANNESBURG, Oct 9 (Reuters) - South Africa's third-largestmobile operator Cell C on Wednesday lodged an antitrustcomplaint against MTN Group and Vodacom,charging its bigger rivals with "discriminatory pricing".
Unlisted Cell C said in a statement it had lodged thecomplaint with South Africa's competition watchdog over therates MTN and Vodacom charge their own customers for callingusers of other networks.
MTN and Vodacom offer discounts when customers callsubscribers on the same network, but charge a premium for callsto other networks, Cell C CEO Alan Knott-Craig said in astatement.
"This amounts to discriminatory pricing and is without adoubt anti-competitive when adopted by dominant operators," hesaid.
No one was immediately available for comment at MTN orVodacom.
It was not immediately clear what action, if any, thePretoria-based Competition Commission would take after receivingthe complaint.
South Africa's telecoms operator on Friday said it plannedto cut by 75 percent the fees mobile companies can charge rivalsto use their networks.
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africaplans to cut the so-called mobile termination rates to 10 SouthAfrican cents by 2016, from 40 cents now.
Vodacom, a unit of Britain's Vodafone Plc is thedominant carrier in South Africa. Bigger rival MTN Group is the largest mobile operator in Africa but has asmaller slice of the South African market.
Vodafone (VOD)
