OUR gets green light to assess telecoms firms

IN A move that could pave the way for lower call rates locally, the Telecommunications Appeals Tribunal has dismissed an appeal from Mossel Jamaica Limited against a decision of the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR). In its decision, the OUR had sought to declare Mossel – trading as Digicel – and other mobile public voice carriers, dominant in call termination services.

The ruling opens the door for the OUR to determine whether telecommunications firms have impeded the maintenance or development of effective and fair com-petition in the market.The issue of high termination rate has been a long-standing concern within the sector, with LIME and Claro both accusing the Irish-owned Digicel of anti-competitive behaviour. More