Telecarrier resorts to courts over interconnection

Panamanian telco Telecarrier will file a lawsuit against incumbent operator Cable and Wireless Panama (C&WP) for failing to provide interconnection outside Panama City, local daily El Crítica quoted Telecarrier chief executive Ernesto Baca as saying. Telecarrier has repeatedly filed complaints with the telecoms regulator ERSP, which has confirmed C&WP's obligation to allow interconnection but has not taken any concrete action against the incumbent. Baca blamed C&WP's inaction for the loss of tens of thousands of dollars of revenue a month, as well as limiting the newcomer's ability to offer competitive prices. C&WP rejected Baca's claims saying Telecarrier itself has delayed in building out its own infrastructure to the solicited interconnection points. Telecarrier was one of the first companies to obtain an operating license ahead of market liberalization in January 2003. The company provides data and voice services for the corporate sector and now has about 30,000 clients.