Small Caribbean Phone Company Attacks Cable And Wireless

by Leroy Baker, Lawandtax-News.com, New York

20 December 2006

Cariaccess Communications, which offers Internet services in Barbados, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines, has filed a lawsuit against Cable & Wireless and the St Vincent National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, asking for interconnection and seeking damages of US$43m.

Cariaccess says that almost 5 years after receiving its first Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States telecom license, Cariaccess remains unable to interconnect to the public-switched telephone, Internet and other networks, anywhere in the OECS.

Cariacess claims that Cable and Wireless offers to sell it broadband products for prices that are way in excess of its own retail prices. The company says that the regulator has failed to enforce rules that prohibite Cable and Wireless from such practices.

Says the company: 'We look forward to a speedy resolution to this ongoing problem and to being able to soon offer a comprehensive suite of high-quality, cost-effective telecom services to our fellow Caribbean consumers.'

Cable and Wireless has recently reported rapidly increasing broadband customer numbers and revenues in the Caribbean.

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