PLDT cuts Innove’s VoIP service in dispute over access charges

According to INQ7.net, the country’s incumbent fixed line operator Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) has ‘temporarily barred’ incoming calls from its rival Innove Communications’ voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) service, while the pair work out an interconnection agreement. PLDT has reportedly filed a complaint with the regulator, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), alleging that Innove, a subsidiary of Globe Telecom, has been routing international calls to PLDT’s network without an interconnect agreement. Globe has countered that there is no case to answer as the matter was resolved several months ago, and says its GlobeQuest Webphone service is only available for domestic use. However, PLDT says that some Globe subscribers have used the service abroad. A spokesman for Globe says the company aims to resolve the problem by the end of 2006.