TRINIDAD EXPRESS:
MOBILE SERVICE provider Digicel will launch its public service today, with 200 of its outlets opening doors across Trinidad and Tobago.
Chief executive officer of Digicel, Stephen Brewer, speaking on TV6's Morning Edition programme yesterday, said: "We'll be opening our doors unless there's some other trick to keep us from coming to the market.
"Are we going to have better rates and better value absolutely. You can see this week in our stores if you want to do a comparison.
"Our rates are not public yet this is a competitive world, its commercially sensitive those rates at the moment and also we've been talking about the interconnect rates which have a bearing on how much we charge when we go into the market- place."
Brewer said that it's very complex to get rates right, but insisted that Digicel is going to offer "really good choice and value to the customers of Trinidad and Tobago".
He explained that the delay in getting interconnection off the ground allowed his company to fine-tune operations in preparation for liberalisation.
"It seemed to be like watching paint dry to get TSTT to actually do it. I have to say their engineers worked very well with our engineers and we have a very good system now and I can use my phone all over the place and they can phone us so we have actually good physical interconnection going on now."
"My engineers are telling me that our network is something like 150 per cent better quality and coverage and clarity," Brewer said.
Meanwhile, Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) official Stephen Bereaux, brought the Daily Express up to speed as to the preliminary hearing of the arbitration panel appointed by TATT, which was held last Friday.
The panel consists of TATT directors Dr Ronald Ramkissoon and Dr Shahid Hussain and UK based attorney, Rory Mc Millan.
Bereaux said: "In three weeks the panel will put in place an interim interconnection rate based on information provided by TSTT and Digicel."
