Digicel secures court order to block Antigua & Barbuda spectrum confiscation

Caribbean mobile operator Digicel has secured a court order to prevent the government of Antigua and Barbuda from confiscating part of the 850MHz spectrum it holds in order to reassign the band to state-owned fixed and mobile operator Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA).

Digicel has held spectrum in the 850MHz band since 2006. On May 8, the government ordered the company to return a significant portion of its spectrum by May 31 with the aim of more "equitable distribution" of the band, as reported by Demerara Waves.

According to the publication, the government of Antigua and Barbuda has criticized Digicel’s move saying, "no court can tell us to whom we can license our spectrum, our national asset, so we are allowing for due process… a period of negotiation."

Digicel Antigua & Barbuda’s CEO Dwayne Tulloch reportedly said the company supports policies that promote competition in the industry such as tower sharing and national roaming, "but this is not the way to go about it."