Telecom Giants End 27-Year Legal Battle with Historic Rs 800m Settlement

Mauritius Telecom (MT) and its competitor Emtel have officially drawn a line under a nearly three-decade-old legal dispute with a landmark settlement of Rs 800 million, avoiding further exhaustive court proceedings.

Payout Details

The agreement, which formally concludes a court case initiated in 1997, stipulates that Emtel will receive the substantial compensation package from two main contributors:

• Rs 400 million will be paid by Mauritius Telecom (MT) and its mobile subsidiary, Cellplus.
• The remaining Rs 400 million will be contributed by the ICTA (Information and Communication Technologies Authority).

The Road to Resolution

This amicable accord comes just months after a key ruling by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London. The UK’s highest court for Mauritius issued a decision on 22 April 2024 that was favourable to Emtel.

The Privy Council’s findings had urged the operators and the regulator to reconsider their positions and align with the ICTA’s statutory objectives and the broader public interest.

This recommendation proved pivotal, paving the way for the negotiations that ultimately led to the announced settlement.

The resolution ensures that additional legal steps, which had stretched the case all the way to the Privy Council in 2024, are now unnecessary.

MT’s Forward-Looking Stance

Commenting on the decision, Veemal Gungadin, the CEO of Mauritius Telecom, stated that the settlement “reflects our will to move forward and build an inclusive digital ecosystem.”

The signing of the agreement was announced by the historical operator, officially closing the long-standing litigation.

Source: Defi Media