GTA TeleGuam's dispute with IT&E puts damper on CNMI expansion plans

GTA TeleGuam has been forced to halt its plans to enter the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI) market, after it could not reach an agreement with CNMI's incumbent telco IT&E.

In October 2011, GTA got permission from the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to start offering local services in the CNMI, which consists of the islands of Saipan, Rota and Tinian. At that time it had hoped to start offering services in CNMI in mid-2012.

IT&E later challenged GTA's petition and asked for a rehearing of its application, according to a report in the Saipan Tribune.

"We were asked by parties if we could sit down and negotiate a stipulation with IT&E," said Daniel J. Tydingco, GTA's executive vice president. "Efforts to reach a stipulation have been unsuccessful and our local CNMI legal counsel has notified the CNMI PUC of that recently."

GTA is now waiting for guidance from the PUC and CNMI courts on what it should do next.

The proposed expansion is part of a broader growth initiative GTA has taken to expand outside of its home Guam market since it became a private company in 2005.

For more:
- Saipan Tribune has this article

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