Colombian trunking operator Avantel has withdrawn all lawsuits against mobile operators for alleged unfair competition after it managed to seal interconnection agreements on October 9, local daily Portafolio reported.
Avantel customers will now use 10-digit numbers beginning with the 350 prefix and be able to make cheaper calls to customers of other mobile operators.
In July 2006, Avantel finally managed to obtain interconnection agreements with the country's main fixed and long distance operators a year after the government had enacted a five-year-old directive to make interconnection obligatory.
In the same month, Colombia's telecoms regulator CRT issued legislation obliging mobile operators to provide Avantel with interconnection at mobile-to-mobile rates, but operators Comcel, Movistar, of Spain's Telefonica, and Ola, now Tigo, of Luxembourg's Millicom International Cellular, refused to do so.
Colombia's communications ministry fined Avantel 46mn pesos in August (US$23,500) for illegally using incoming long distance networks of Comcel and Movistar.
Avantel modified its telecommunications license in August 2005 to become the country's fourth mobile operator.
Posted to the site on 15th October 2007
Posted to: www.cellular-news.com/story/26697.php