Telecsa asks regulators to revise contract

Ecuadorian startup mobile operator Telecsa has asked telecoms regulators Senatel and Conatel to modify its concession contract, because of clauses that treat the company differently from incumbent operators Porta and BellSouth, local press quoted Telecsa chairman Peter Burrowes as saying. Telecsa's spectrum costs are 10 times more expensive than those of the incumbents, and it faces fines of up to US$2mn for breaking concession terms, compared to the US$200 faced by incumbents. Nor do incumbents have to contribute to a universal access fund. Meanwhile, Telecsa has also asked Porta and BellSouth to expand their interconnection agreements with the newcomer to include text messages, and Burrowes said he expects them to do so by Telecsa's December 1 launch date, despite a legal window of 60 working days. Porta and BellSouth do not exchange text messages themselves. Telecsa, a joint venture between Ecuador's fixed line operators Andinatel and Pacifictel, will operate under the brand name Alegro. The company is being launched and administrated by Sweden's Swedtel.