Digicel seeks to keep own call gateway
DIGICEL PNG yesterday maintained that its international gateway and that of the Government-owned Telikom should remain separate even as it called on the competition watchdog to join in the on-going interconnection talks.
Digicel has warned the country’s cellphone users against expected result of such interconnection with Telikom using only one backbone belonging to the Government telco.
Link-up is hoped to take place on April 1.
In a statement, the telco stressed that “most importantly, Telikom cannot provide Digicel the quality of international service required to guarantee Digicel customers the affordable and high quality international services they currently enjoy”.
Earlier, Digicel warned of increased cost of calls for its users, especially overseas calls, arising from use of single itnernational gateway.
Digicel calls overseas will entail additional tariff which will be charged by Telikom for using its exclusive international gateway.
At present, Digicel calls to several countries cost only K1.48 per minute (peak hours) and 99 toea off-peak hours. Local calls are even cheaper.
In a statement yesterday, Digicel stressed that the Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC) should participate in the ongoing link-up negotiations to protect these gains (cheap calls) that it (Digicel) has achieved over the fast several months.
“We are working very hard with Telikom to come to an agreeable conclusion to the interconnect negotiations which is a complex process,” Digicel chief Kevin O’Sullivan said.
He said it is encouraging to note that they have made considerable progress over the past few weeks on both the technical as well as the commercial side.
Focus should be for Telikom and Digicel, together with ICCC’s participation, to solve the few remaining commercial matters outstanding on interconnection so domestic cellphone-to-cellphone and fixed-to-cellphone link-up and vice versa could become a reality without losing what it called “value-for-money” service.
Over the past weeks progress has been made both technically as well as commercially.
Digicel says interconnection will be provided, as agreed by Digicel and Telikom, to ensure a long-term solution through the four points of link-up in Port Moresby, Lae, Hagen and Kokopo.
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