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DIGITAL Telecommunications Phils. Inc. on Monday asked the National
Telecommunications Commission to stop Globe Telecom’s construction
of a cable landing station in Ballesteros, Cagayan.
Myla Matic, Digitel legal counsel, told the NTC
that Globe’s application would benefit only the private parties of
VSNL International of India and not the public.
Matic said Globe joined with VSNL to build a
private submarine cable system in the Asia-Pacific region and as the
local operator of the network/cable landing station.
“From such assertion, it can be deduced that
only the parties to the agreement would have the full power and
discretion to the operation of the said cable landing station,
thereby depriving or at the least limiting access to it by other
carriers,” she said.
Globe had said it would invest some $40 million
in the construction of a cable landing station in Cagayan as its
facilities in Nasugbu, Batangas, are vulnerable to earthquakes and
other natural calamities.
The Ayala-led company said the new cable landing
station would add greater capacity to its international services as
demanded by the rapid growth of the cellular mobile telephone
service, leased line, Internet and other telecommunication services.
But Matic said “the existing cable landing
stations currently operated by local carriers can very well address
[the need for] better service for both local and international
traffic… and in response to the rapid growth of telecommunications
services.”
She said that contrary to Globe’s applications
that the cable landing station would allow and establish voice
connectivity with its interconnected parties and other carrier’s
subscribers, its existing cable landing station in Nasugbu, Batangas,
has not been offered to existing local carriers.
“This is in fact is in contravention of the
interconnection policy promulgated by the Commission and an outright
violation of the conditions set forth in the grant of applicant’s
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity,” she said.
-- Darwin G. Amojelar
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