Telephone rates can increase on May 1

Increasing the rates for fixed telephone communications can be held on May 1. Price hike will take place in two stages. The second is expected in September According to the National Commission for Communications Regulation Peter Yatsuk, the draft resolution has been agreed with trade unions and the Ministry of Economy. Newspaper reported today. Earlier at a press conference Yatsuk said that the price hike is expected "soon". Initially planned to raise the monthly fee by 25%, increasing the number of free minutes from 200 to 400. In the second stage price increase will be differentiated: in urban areas - by 8% in rural areas - 25%. Number of free minutes will rise to 600. Thus, before the year fee for urban subscribers will rise to 26.64 USD per month (now - 19.73 hr), rural - to 16.42 USD (now-10.51 hr). After Ukrtelecom was privatized, the opposition feared that the first thing the buyer will raise rates. Prime Minister Mykola Azarov entrusted to lay into an agreement with the buyer guarantees that within a certain time, prices for telecommunication services for the population did not change.