Digicel’s Christmas wish for SMS interconnection may not be granted

Dec 10, 2008 News

Digicel Guyana may not be getting its Christmas wish of having Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) opening up text messaging between Digicel and GT&T networks in time for Christmas.
This is according to a key official close to the negotiations, who said that it was very unlikely that the interconnection could happen by year-end. The official pointed out that it was more feasible to interconnect in the new year.
The official said that GT&T would have to invest some money in capacity to facility the interconnection. With all of the promotions currently being run by GT&T, the system is stretched to capacity.
It was also noted that there were still some elements in the contract that are posing difficulties for GT&T.
Digicel CEO Gregory Dean informed the media that, “Despite the public statements from Gene Evelyn (Director of Rate Making), GT&T has not moved quickly on the matter of text messages between Digicel and GT&T mobile phone users.”
According to Digicel, its records confirm that a revised contract was sent to GT&T on September 5 last, and that a response with proposed changes was received on November 14.
The changes requested by GT&T were incorporated into a new draft, along with additions from Digicel, and then returned to GT&T on November 24.
GT&T then indicated that the earliest that it could complete a review and seek to have the contract signed, in order to implement the service, would be January, and Digicel suggested that the contract could be settled at the moment, with an agreement to launch the service at a set date in January.
Gregory Dean confirmed statements made this week by GT&T Rate Making Director Gene Evelyn, that all tests were completed and that the service could be activated at any time an agreement is reached.
Gregory Dean said that, “Consumers on both networks are demanding to be able to send text messages back and forth between Digicel mobile phones and GT&T mobile phones, and this should be provided without delay.”
Dean added that, “With all of the technical tests completed, and just paper work to be done, there is no reason why the companies could not give this to customers for Christmas.”
Evelyn recently told this newspaper that the legal team, engineers and hierarchy at GT&T are currently analyzing the final draft of the interconnection of GT&T and Digicel with regards to Short Messaging Services (SMS).
The general definition of SMS is the transmission of short text messages to and from a mobile phone, fax machine and/or Internet Protocol (IP) address.
According to Evelyn, the negotiations have been ongoing for a number of years; but, in the beginning, Digicel was asking for too much to be included under the definition of SMS.
He pointed out that all of the tests have been conducted, and as soon as GT&T has cleared the current draft agreement as acceptable, the service will be implemented, meaning that GT&T subscribers will be able to send text messages to Digicel subscribers, and vice versa.

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Digicel’s Christmas wish for SMS interconnection may not be granted

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