Saith: Cellular agreement soon

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION and Information Minister Dr Lenny Saith yesterday expressed confidence that Irish telecommunications company Digicel and local telecom outfit Laqtel will soon sign concession documents that will permit them to begin providing mobile phone services to the population. Saith told Newsday that while neither company has signed their respective concession documents yet, he was confident that they would do so very soon. Saith said Digicel and Laqtel were working closely with the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) in order to address all outstanding issues relating to the documents.

On November 30, Digicel and Laqtel declined to sign the final concession documents prepared by TATT, saying they wanted their respective attorneys to review the documents before they signed.  After the signing of a tower-sharing agreement with TSTT on December 12, Laqtel CEO Michael Barrow hinted that the company may be ready to sign its concession document in one week’s time. Sources informed Newsday that logistics are now being worked out and there will be a concession signing before December 31.

TATT executive director Dr John Prince explained that Digicel could begin providing mobile phone services to the population once it signed its concession document and did not have to wait for interconnection with TSTT. TSTT CEO Carlos Espinal has said interconnection with Digicel is unlikely to occur before April, 2006. TSTT placed an order in November for the US$1.5 million worth of interconnection equipment required and Espinal said that equipment should arrive in TT in 17 weeks time. Digicel (TT) CEO Stephen Brewer has called on Government to intervene to resolve its interconnection feud with TSTT. However, Saith said Government, which has a 51 percent shareholding in TSTT, would not intervene in the matter.