Columbus is especially enraged about the fact that the request that local cable company Scarlet submitted about the same time as Columbus did, is now ready, while Columbus’ request isn't. Adriaens promised to figure out why Columbus’ concession is not ready yet for consideration in the Council of Ministers. ”These are procedural matters, but Columbus indicated via his lawyer that the company is not ruling out legal proceedings, if there are going to be any more delays. They warn us that if this comes to a lawsuit, it will have far-reaching consequences for the Antilles.”

The problem with Columbus’ request is that national telecom-company UTS is worried that with the arrival of Columbus Networks on the island, UTS will be confronted with unfair competition, because Columbus Networks Curaçao is going to offer internet on the island for much lower tariffs. In connection with this, the National government is working on a proposal for a minimum tariff for telecommunication wholesalers, which would imply that local providers will be offered a minimum tariff.

Columbus Networks Curaçao is a subsidiary of Columbus Networks, which in turn falls under Columbus International Inc. Columbus Networks owns 94 percent of the shares and manages the Americas Region Optical Ring System (Arcos), the optical fibre cable network that connects the Caribbean and Central-America with each other.

(Source: National newspaper Amigoe)

3 December, 2008