TelEm Group has sought the intervention of the Government of St. Maarten, and in particular the Minister of Telecommunication, Mr. Ted Richardson, to resolve an ongoing issue of frequency interference from neighbouring St. Kitts and Anguilla.
The matter presently has the attention of the Bureau of Telecommunication and Post St. Maarten (BTP), whose officials are working along with TelEm Group to get the issue resolved. However, TelEm Group believes unless the matter is handled on a government-to-government level, the interference will continue with TelEm Group customers being the ones to suffer.
"Our customers are being adversely affected by the frequency interference with increasing reports of dropped calls and other connection problems," said Chief Technical Officer, Mr. Eldet Louisa.
He said management is taking a very serious view of the issue because of the damaging effect it is having on the company’s efforts to provide the best service possible to customers.
"We are most grateful to the BTP for their actions and involvement so far. With some additional help from government and the Minister of Telecommunications, who may be able to discuss the matter with his counterpart in both St. Kitts and Anguilla, we are hopeful that the matter can be resolved without further delay," continued Mr. Louisa.
He said while the company awaits a response from government, it has taken additional steps to find alternative solutions, including a new request for a change in frequency if necessary.
Mr. Louisa has meantime appealed to customers to be patient and understanding in the knowledge that the interference they are experiencing is out of the control of the company and its technical staff.
"All we can do at this stage to to ensure that we are doing all we can to impress on third parties the importance of working with us to resolve this matter as quickly as possible in the interest of our customers," said Mr. Louisa.