LIME wins interconnection dispute

The Fair Trading Commission (FTC) has ruled in LIME’s favour regarding the dispute which arose earlier this year over landline termination rates with Digicel.
The FTC-approved regulation known as a Reference Interconnection Offer (RIO), governs interconnection termination charges between telecommunication carriers. This regulation requires each carrier to charge the other the same per minute rate for termination of calls.
The two telecommunications providers were in dispute over the landline to landline termination rates.
Nicole Liverpool Jordan, Head of Legal and Regulatory at LIME expressed her delight at the decision.
“We are pleased with the decision as it supports competition and it means that we will all continue to operate on a level playing field.  Since the landline market opened to competition in 2005, the RIO has clearly outlined the charges for termination by carriers.  Digicel was asking for a preferential rate that LIME was not allowed to offer because the FTC controls those rates. That was where the dispute arose,” she explained.
“In the case of landline to landline service, there is a charge to terminate calls. The requirements of the RIO do not allow carriers to discriminate therefore LIME must pay all carriers the same price for termination on their landline network that it charges for termination on its landline network.  We are pleased to see the FTC agreed with the position we took in the applying the rules in this way,” added Liverpool Jordan.