NKT is a company that makes cables; its Czech part is based in Kladno. In 2026 the Úřad pro ochranu hospodářské soutěže (ÚOHS) imposed a fine of CZK 910 million on it for taking part in a cartel agreement of cable manufacturers.[1][2]
Cartel proceedings
According to the authority, NKT and five other companies agreed on how to calculate part of the sales price of cables containing copper or aluminium, the so-called metal surcharge. The coordination lasted more than ten years, from 2010 to 2022.[1] The fine for NKT, together with the CZK 955 million fine for Prysmian, is among the highest the authority has imposed on individual companies in its history.[1][2] In total the authority assessed CZK 1.94 billion on four companies.[2]
The decision is not final and can be appealed to the authority's chairman Petr Mlsna.[1][2] Morten Bang, head of NKT's legal department, told the Czech News Agency that the company disagrees with the authority's factual and legal conclusions and will appeal. If the fine stays in force, he said, the company is prepared to challenge it before Czech courts.[1]
Details of the case are described in the article ÚOHS fines for the cable manufacturers' cartel (2026).