By KENNEDY MUPESENI –
THE Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has embarked on a probe into the mobile money market to confirm reports of restrictive business practices.
Consumers have been expressing misgivings on the pricing in the fees charged by mobile operators in the country.
CCPC northern region chief investigator Masauso Phiri said the commission had been receiving reports of unfair charging by players in the mobile money industry.
“We are currently doing a market research on the mobile money industry to find out or confirm anti-competitive behaviour of industries,” Mr Phiri said.
He was speaking during a presentation at a one-day stakeholder’s workshop at Edinburgh Hotel in Kitwe on Monday.
The workshop drew participation from big companies and Small and Medium Enterprises on the Copperbelt.
Among the topics covered included how anti-competitive mergers and restrictive business practices which affect the economy.
Mr Phiri however, said service provision by certain industries tended to be more affordable because it was not their core business.
“In some cases (they) could charge low fees for mobile money transaction because that is not their core business but we are carrying out  research whose findings will determine whether firms dealing in mobile money transactions were engaged in restrictive business practices or not,” Mr Phiri said.
He also said that lack of standards for defective goods manufactured outside the country had been affecting CCPC to carry out investigations on such products.
“There is need for the country to come up with standards for us to determine whether products are genuine or defective,” Mr Phiri said.