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BTL's Position on Interconnection
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BTL takes this opportunity to accurately inform the public of the position with regard to interconnection between BTL and Speednet (SMART).
Through a Court Order dated, 31st March, 2011 both parties were to negotiate new interconnection and infrastructure sharing agreements, including rates and charges within a certain period. The reason was indicated by the Judge in Paragraph 108 of the Judgment which reads: "… The terms and conditions of these Agreements are not enforceable because they were not approved by the PUC which approval is required by section 22(2) of the Belize Telecommunications Act 2002…"
The Public needs to be aware that without an enforceable agreement in place, BTL is unable to provide interconnection. On June 8th, 2011 both parties agreed to inform the PUC that no agreement was reached. PUC is expected to formulate the agreements in accordance with the Court Orders inclusive of the rates and charges by which both parties will be required to comply.
In light of that however, it must be mentioned that Smart has decided to appeal the ruling of the Court. The Appeal effectively seeks to overturn the ruling of the court that orders the PUC to establish the terms and conditions for standard interconnection and infrastructure agreements including rates and charges.
Therefore, even when the PUC delivers the Agreements ordered by the Court, it is doubtful that Smart will comply with these Agreements. It is obvious that Smart never intended to complete the Process ordered by the Court!
Effectively Smart has created its own obstacles. BTL has never delayed or denied interconnection to Smart; in fact the company entered into negotiations with them, but reached a stalemate on June 8th 2011.
BTL cannot accept blame for Smart's inability to provide their 3G service which is the result of their refusal to follow the processes ordered by the court.
In the interim, BTL will continue to focus on the upkeep and expansion of its network to ensure that BTL and DigiCell customers continue to enjoy the best and most reliable services. |
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