• Marketing materials must provide reliable information about the characteristics of a product or the terms of use of a service. Entrepreneurs sometimes forget this.
• President of UOKiK Tomasz Chróstny is taking a closer look at the ads for 5G offers of mobile networks and information related to the introduction of this technology to the offer.
• Consumer complaints indicate that they are unable to use this technology, despite the assurance from entrepreneurs.

UOKiK is receiving signals from consumers about the offers of 5G technology Internet access. This acronym stands for the fifth generation of mobile networks, which offers an increased Internet and download speed. President of UOKiK Tomasz Chróstny has initiated explanatory proceedings against Polkomtel, the operator of the Plus network, and P4, the operator of the Play network. During the course of the proceedings, the information provided in the marketing campaigns related to the introduction of 5G technology will be verified.

"Reliable information on how the technology works, e.g. on whether the consumer's phone supports the 5G network frequency of a given operator, and on the actual price of a service with specific properties, is crucial for the consumer when deciding whether to take advantage of the offer. The terms of the offer which are important from a user perspective must be stated clearly – without the use of asterisks, illegible fonts or numerous references, otherwise they may be misleading. 5G technology confers benefits such as faster Internet access, the ability to connect multiple devices, increased data upload and download speeds – all of this arouses the interest of consumers. Entrepreneurs should, apart from informing them about the benefits of this technology, also provide the terms that have to be met in order to use it," says Tomasz Chróstny, the President of UOKiK.

Customers of the Plus network complained about the malfunctioning of 5G technology, despite having devices capable of supporting it. Subscribers of Play, on the other hand, reported that because of the information in ads they were convinced that the price shown in them included, together with the device itself, 5G speed Internet. The small print stated that neither the presented tariff nor the device supports this technology. The President of UOKiK will verify in explanatory proceedings whether the situations described by consumers have taken place. 

Explanatory proceedings concern the matter itself, are not directed against a specific entrepreneur, and their purpose is to explain the mechanisms of the market in question. The next step may be the initiation of relevant proceedings, which may result in a penalty of up to 10 per cent of the annual turnover of the entrepreneur.

If you, as a consumer, wish to notify UOKiK about the activity of an operator, contact us at [SCODE]dW9raWtAdW9raWsuZ292LnBs[ECODE].

Consumer assistance:

Tel.: 801 440 220 or 22 290 89 16 – consumer helpline
 Email: [SCODE]cG9yYWR5QGRsYWtvbnN1bWVudG93LnBs[ECODE]
 Consumer Ombudsmen – in your city or county
 Office of Electronic Communications – Consumer Information Centre – 22 330 40 00

Additional information for the media:

UOKiK Press Office
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warszawa, Poland
Phone +48 695 902 088, +48 22 55 60 246
E-mail: [SCODE]Yml1cm9wcmFzb3dlQHVva2lrLmdvdi5wbA==[ECODE]
Twitter: @UOKiKgovPL