BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC — THE Fair Trading Commission (FTC) in Barbados has denied an application by mobile phone provider Digicel to review an earlier decision on rates charged by Cable and Wireless, which trades as LIME, to other telecoms companies to use its network.

In a decision handed down Wednesday, the FTC said Digicel failed to demonstrate any need to review its February 22 ruling.

It said Digicel “has not properly supported a modification of the Commission’s decision”.

On March 6, Digicel had filed a Notice of Motion for Review, contending that the regulator breached the rules of natural justice in that it was under duty to act judiciously, but did not do so.

The FTC said arguments put forward by the mobile phone service provider “were at some points inconsistent and seemingly contradictory with respect to the nature and extent of the Commission’s process and Digicel’s involvement”.

Submissions were presented by Digicel, TeleBarbados and others.

“Many of the carriers in the referenced submissions were of the view that the interconnection charges were too high.

“Cable and Wireless subsequently proposed that in the absence of a Long Run Incremental Cost (LRIC) study and until this exercise is completed it would reduce domestic interconnection tariffs for Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) Termination Access Service, Public Land Mobile Network Termination Access Service and PSTN Transit Service by five per cent…

“Based on the foregoing and on the reasons expressed in the decision, the Commission finds that Digicel in its motion for review and written submissions, has not demonstrated that errors of fact or law or any other grounds for review exist,” the FTC said.