Call rates to drop - Lead Stories - Jamaica Gleaner - Wednesday | May 2, 2012

Call rates to drop - Lead Stories - Jamaica Gleaner - Wednesday | May 2, 2012: "Government is pushing to have amendments to the Telecommunications Act established into law by weekend, enabling the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) to set interim wholesale and retail telecommunications rates.

"One of the implications, we believe, because we can't prejudge what the OUR will do, is that we are going to see a massive decline in rates," Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Phillip Paulwell told The Gleaner last night, shortly after the amendments were passed in the House of Representatives.

The Senate will consider the bill later this week and if passed, it will be sent to the governor general for his assent shortly thereafter.

Interconnectivity rates across LIME and Digicel are currently as high as $9. Sources close to the discussions say the OUR has proposed that the interim rates the networks pay each other be lowered to $5.

In a media release last night, Garry Sinclair, LIME's managing director for Jamaica and The Cayman Islands, said the move to amend the law was "good news for consumers"."

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