Public hearing on SMS called off after networks reach deal

The public hearing set for yesterday on the issue of SMS interconnection between the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) and Digicel subscribers has been discontinued as the companies have reached a deal.

In a press release the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) said Digicel filed a notice formally withdrawing its complaint as it and GT&T have agreed to initiate cross-network Short Messaging Service (SMS) texting from June 1. The PUC welcomes the signing of the SMS Interconnection Agreement, noting that it has been long overdue.

According to the release Digicel had by way of complaint, approached the PUC on April 3 requesting that it require GT&T to enable interconnection of the SMS services so that all subscribers will be able to send short messaging texts between the networks. Digicel said the two companies had tested the service and verified that it could work as early as April 14, 2008 and indicated in its application that it had made numerous efforts to enable the already tested service and that GT&T had ignored all its requests. Digicel further argued that GT&T had been delaying the launch of the service since November and it was of the view that the company had decided that it was not in its commercial interest to enable interconnection and that it did not intend to cooperate.

The PUC said the complaint had been forwarded to GT&T who submitted that the central cause of the disagreement was Digicel’s desire for it to engage in a comprehensive renegotiation of the Interconnection Agreement at a time when government is accelerating its sector review efforts.  It said too GT&T seemed reluctant for it to hear the matter and requested that the issue be deferred until after completion of the sector reform legislation and the negotiations between the government and ATN/GT&T to amend GT&T’s operating licence.

The PUC was of the view that given the alleged protracted negotiations on the Interconnection Agreement and the implications for the public, that the matter be placed in the public domain and a date fixed for a public hearing. The release said GT&T had made efforts to have the matter adjourned and not proceeded with on the date fixed by the Commission, and the parties met on May 15 and signed an Interconnection Agree-ment that will come into effect on June 1. The PUC said it expects that the Agreement would contribute to the further growth of the sector and benefit all consumers.