A dispute between Jordan’s two mobile service providers, Mobilecom and Fastlink, reached a deadlock when the Supreme Court decided on October 29 to freeze until further notice Fastlink's plan to add a seventh digit to its cellular phone numbers, reported Al-Sharq Al-Awsat.
In January 2001, Fastlink sought permission to change its numbering system from the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission's (TRC), entrusted with organizing the telecommunication sector in the country.
Established in 1995 as Jordan’s first GSM cellular network, Fastlink currently ranks as the largest mobile provider in the country with 650,000 customers. “The expansion will raise the network’s capacity to more then a million subscribers, which in turn will upgrade our service quality and allow our subscriber base to grow," said Fastlink vice president Bassem Al-Rousan, in a statement issued by Fastlink in mid-September.
However, Mobilecom, the cellular subsidiary of Jordan Telecommunication Company (JTC), which commenced operations in 2000, opposed the decision saying it was informed of the expansion plan on very short notice and needed more time to adapt to the impact on its operations. JTC officials further said that a seventh digit addition was unnecessary and costly.
The TRC attempted to settle the dispute through a series of meetings with both sides, and concluded that the change in the numbering system would be delayed from September 21, until the beginning of November.
JTC’s Mobilecom then filed a lawsuit against the TRC and Fastlink, in response to which Supreme Court decided to freeze Fastlink’s move, leaving the Jordanian telecommunications sector at a standstill. The court also imposed a 30,000 Jordanian dinar ($42,200) "judicial warranty" on JTC for potential losses that the defendant, fastlink, might incur, The Star reported.
The change in the numbering plan is an essential and urgent measure, necessary to coping with Fastlink's client base growth, company CEO Michael Dagher told reporters. Citing fears that such squabbles will affect the reputation of the Kingdom’s telecom sector and alienate potential investors, Fastlink is now preparing to legally contest the court’s decision. — (menareport.com)
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
