Reprinted from Caribbean Net News
caribbeannetnews.com

Cable & Wireless denies unfair competition claim in BVI
02-07-2007

ROAD TOWN, BVI: Cable and Wireless said the recent claims made by British Virgin Islands' sole mobile provider, CCT Global Communications, against Cable and Wireless are unsubstantiated and invalid.

CCT has said there is a level of fairness missing in the liberalisation process pointing fingers at Cable and Wireless.

But Chief Executive Officer of Cable and Wireless, Vance Lewis, said Cable & Wireless has been very patient with the liberalisation process since its inception.

Lewis said, historically, starting in early 2006 with receipt from the BVI Government a Letter of Intent to issue C&W a mobile licence, Cable & Wireless has earnestly and diligently participated in the discussions leading to the development of the Telecommunications Act in June 2006, and patiently waited the naming of the Chief Executive Officer to the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission in October 2006.

He said even as the long-promised and yet to be enacted Policy Paper, that will ultimately govern the liberalised market, is winging its way through this arduous process, Cable & Wireless uncomplainingly waited for a timeline that would determine the issuance of a mobile licence.

Lewis said that, in early December 2006, Cable & Wireless was promised receipt of a formal application for a mobile licence and, to date, this application has not materialised.

"In preparation for competition, the Government approved the testing of our network with allocation of certain spectrum and as the Government owns the frequency, our network test is legal. All of this was accomplished with the understanding a licence was to be received by the end of January 2007," Lewis said.

Lewis said for the better part of one year his company has been acting in good faith and making significant financial investment in building a mobile network in preparation for competition. "These efforts have included building a state of the art network and establishing an unprecedented sales and service experience for the people of the BVI and subsequently testing these processes and infrastructure," he said.

And according to Lewis, "all efforts they have undertaken have been done with government approval and within legal and ethical boundaries." The Cable and Wireless CEO said the recent claims made by CCT are therefore unsubstantiated and invalid.

"If CCT have not taken the advent of liberalisation seriously and as a result not managed their resources appropriately in preparation then, only CCT can be blamed and the people of the BVI should not be punished for CCT’s lack of foresight. CCT’s increasingly aggressive efforts in delaying this process only serve to illustrate this point," Lewis said.

Lewis said Cable & Wireless’ current telecommunications licence in the BVI has expired effective 31st January 2007 and the company still has not received concrete timelines for receipt of a mobile licence.

He strongly urged the authorities to expedite the licensing to complete the liberalisation of the telecommunications industry, so that the citizens and the visitors in the BVI to enjoy the benefits of a fully liberalised market.