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DIGITAL Telecommunications Philippines Inc. (Digitel) said it has
blocked network access of Philippine Telegraph and Telephone Inc.
(PT&T) for non-payment of debts and proliferation of bypass
activities.
Earlier, PT&T filed an administrative case
against Digitel for violating the National Telecommunications
Commission (NTC) rule on interconnection, citing the unilateral
action of blocking its network.
In a filing with the NTC, the Gokongwei-owned
telecom company said there is legal basis to block the local
interconnection trunks of PT&T.
The non-payment of debts and bypass activities
are in violation of the provisions of the Interim Interconnection
Agreement between the parties.
Digitel and PT&T entered into the accord on
Febuary 1997. The agreement governed the interconnection of their
respective facilities, including the method of settlement of their
respective payables.
Digitel said PT&T’s outstanding
interconnection charges had risen to P53 million since 2002.
“The [P53 million] could have been useful to
Digitel for defraying operational expenses relative to the
interconnection had it been settled promptly,” the telco said.
Since 2002, the company said it gave due
considerations to PT&Ts proposals for settlement, but the latter
repeatedly failed to comply with the schedule.
-- Darwin G. Amojelar
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