B.T.L.: no rollback on rates

Four days after the Court of Appeal confirmed the Supreme Court ruling that B.T.L.’s revised phone rates are illegal, the consequences of that decision are still unclear. According to the company’s Strategy and Business Development Manager, Karen Bevans, they are cognizant that customers might be a little confused about what calls are costing in light of Friday’s ruling. But Bevans insists that until their lawyers advise them to do otherwise, the prices announced in December 2001 will still be used to calculate bills. That rate change, called a “tariff rebalancing”, raised local rates by over fifty percent, while cutting long distance, international and Internet charges by lesser amounts. The move was made to protect profits in light of imminent competition from Intelco…competition that has yet to materialise.