Court orders Beeline to pay 1.3 billion sums in unauthorized broadcasting case  

The Tashkent City Economic Court has partially upheld a claim by "O‘zbekiston  kabel televideniyasi" LLC against "Unitel" LLC (Beeline), ruling to recover more than 1.3 billion sums in principal debt for unauthorized broadcasting. QALAMPIR.UZ has reviewed the court’s decision.  

The dispute arose after "Unitel" continued using signal transmission services despite the expiration of its service agreement with "O‘zbekiston kabel televideniyasi". The original agreement, signed on February 22, 2023, allowed "Unitel" to broadcast TV channel content through the "Single Signal" package. However, by early 2024, the contract had expired, and a new agreement was not reached. Despite this, "Unitel" continued to use the services.  

Negotiations over a new tariff proposed by "O‘zbekiston  kabel televideniyasi" were unsuccessful. On January 19, 2024, "Unitel" submitted a letter of guarantee, after which "O‘zbekiston  kabel televideniyasi" filed a lawsuit seeking payment for its services.  

Although the court of first instance dismissed the claim, the appellate court reviewed the case and ruled in favor of "O‘zbekiston kabel televideniyasi", ordering "Unitel" to pay 1.379 billion sums. The court determined that Unitel’s continued use of the services and its letter of guarantee established a legal obligation. Additionally, based on the tariff policy set by the Cabinet of Ministers, the court deemed it lawful to charge 5,750 sums per subscriber for the service.  

It is worth noting that in January, the Committee for the Development of Competition and Protection of Consumer Rights imposed a financial fine on "Coscom" LLC (Ucell) for violating advertising regulations.