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Digicel nuh easy at all! "Lock up di Trinis!"
Digicel wants TSTT directors imprisoned
TSTT directors: From left-Sam Martin, Rolf Balgobin and Bernard Dulal-Whiteway.
By Driselle Ramjohn
(T&T Express) Directors of State-owned Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) could face jail time as rival company Digicel filed contempt proceedings in the High Court last Thursday.
Digicel's action came after TSTT's alleged failure to comply with a High Court order to provide the cellular phone company with adequate interconnect capacity to permit the free flow of calls between Digicel's mobile network and TSTT's fixed and mobile networks.
Justice Nolan Bereaux had on February 15, ordered TSTT to desist from blocking Digicel's calls, provide Digicel with the additional circuits and allow an inspection of their database under the supervision of a Telecommunications Authority representative to determine if Digicel's calls were being deliberately blocked
Digicel said yesterday that to date TSTT has failed to provide almost half of the additional circuits ordered by the court.
"These contempt proceedings will be served on TSTT and its directors; namely Sam Martin, Rolf Balgobin, Kerwyn Garcia, Derwin Howell, Neil Parsanlal, Bernard Dulal-Whiteway, Christopher Hetherington, Leonardo De Barros and Mark McFee. These proceedings expose the TSTT directors to imprisonment and/or to having their assets confiscated. Under court rules, TSTT is also liable to having its assets confiscated by the courts for failing to comply with an order of the High Court," Digicel said.
In response to Digicel's legal action, TSTT said it "is not surprised by Digicel's obvious attempt to divert the public's attention from the judgment delivered today which dismissed Digicel's attempt to challenge the Arbitration Panel's guidelines for TSTT and Digicel to develop interconnection rates."
In that matter, the High Court ruled against Digicel's objection to the TATT-appointed Arbitration Panel's position on the setting of reciprocal interconnection rates.
TSTT maintained in a statement last night that it has provided the full capacity for interconnection circuits based on Digicel's request to date.
"TSTT has applied to Mr Justice Nolan Bereaux on July 19 to vary the ruling for the supply of additional circuits. Justice Bureaux met with TSTT and Digicel on July 31 to set up the procedures for the hearing of TSTT's application, which is scheduled for October 2007," TSTT said.
Lisa Agard, TSTT's vice president for Legal and Regulatory said, "The situation with the interconnect circuits has been going on for some time now. Digicel's choice to re-release this information at this time is disingenuous in light of Justice Bureaux's directions for hearing TSTT's application (to vary the supply of circuits). This is nothing more than a smoke screen to deflect attention from the fact that Digicel lost its appeal for a review of the interconnect rates guideline today."
Digicel denied this claim saying that decision to issue contempt proceedings against TSTT was taken some time prior to yesterday's High Court decision.
Digicel chief executive officer Niall Dorrian said: "We have made several efforts over a lengthy period to arrive at a reasonable interim solution with TSTT so as to avoid having to take this serious step. Ultimately, TSTT, through their legal advisers, displayed an unwillingness to genuinely engage with us so we have had to resort, once again, to the courts of Trinidad and Tobago."
Late last Thursday night a battle of press releases erupted between the two telecommunication providers as both attempted to respond to each other's claims via the media.
TSTT is also looking at possible legal action by the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) following its revision of its fixed line tariffs earlier this week, a move TATT claimed to be illegal.
TSTT directors: From left-Sam Martin, Rolf Balgobin and Bernard Dulal-Whiteway.
By Driselle Ramjohn
(T&T Express) Directors of State-owned Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) could face jail time as rival company Digicel filed contempt proceedings in the High Court last Thursday.
Digicel's action came after TSTT's alleged failure to comply with a High Court order to provide the cellular phone company with adequate interconnect capacity to permit the free flow of calls between Digicel's mobile network and TSTT's fixed and mobile networks.
Justice Nolan Bereaux had on February 15, ordered TSTT to desist from blocking Digicel's calls, provide Digicel with the additional circuits and allow an inspection of their database under the supervision of a Telecommunications Authority representative to determine if Digicel's calls were being deliberately blocked
Digicel said yesterday that to date TSTT has failed to provide almost half of the additional circuits ordered by the court.
"These contempt proceedings will be served on TSTT and its directors; namely Sam Martin, Rolf Balgobin, Kerwyn Garcia, Derwin Howell, Neil Parsanlal, Bernard Dulal-Whiteway, Christopher Hetherington, Leonardo De Barros and Mark McFee. These proceedings expose the TSTT directors to imprisonment and/or to having their assets confiscated. Under court rules, TSTT is also liable to having its assets confiscated by the courts for failing to comply with an order of the High Court," Digicel said.
In response to Digicel's legal action, TSTT said it "is not surprised by Digicel's obvious attempt to divert the public's attention from the judgment delivered today which dismissed Digicel's attempt to challenge the Arbitration Panel's guidelines for TSTT and Digicel to develop interconnection rates."
In that matter, the High Court ruled against Digicel's objection to the TATT-appointed Arbitration Panel's position on the setting of reciprocal interconnection rates.
TSTT maintained in a statement last night that it has provided the full capacity for interconnection circuits based on Digicel's request to date.
"TSTT has applied to Mr Justice Nolan Bereaux on July 19 to vary the ruling for the supply of additional circuits. Justice Bureaux met with TSTT and Digicel on July 31 to set up the procedures for the hearing of TSTT's application, which is scheduled for October 2007," TSTT said.
Lisa Agard, TSTT's vice president for Legal and Regulatory said, "The situation with the interconnect circuits has been going on for some time now. Digicel's choice to re-release this information at this time is disingenuous in light of Justice Bureaux's directions for hearing TSTT's application (to vary the supply of circuits). This is nothing more than a smoke screen to deflect attention from the fact that Digicel lost its appeal for a review of the interconnect rates guideline today."
Digicel denied this claim saying that decision to issue contempt proceedings against TSTT was taken some time prior to yesterday's High Court decision.
Digicel chief executive officer Niall Dorrian said: "We have made several efforts over a lengthy period to arrive at a reasonable interim solution with TSTT so as to avoid having to take this serious step. Ultimately, TSTT, through their legal advisers, displayed an unwillingness to genuinely engage with us so we have had to resort, once again, to the courts of Trinidad and Tobago."
Late last Thursday night a battle of press releases erupted between the two telecommunication providers as both attempted to respond to each other's claims via the media.
TSTT is also looking at possible legal action by the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) following its revision of its fixed line tariffs earlier this week, a move TATT claimed to be illegal.
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