Airtel ‘will meet March deadline’

Tuesday 18th March 2008, 2:29PM GMT.

Airtel chief executive Iain Williams

AIRTEL has promised to meet the new deadline set by the Office of Utility Regulation to have its network operational by 31 March. The company failed to meet the requirements set for 15 December.

Airtel chief executive Iain Williams said the company had experienced great difficulty in gaining planning approval for sites to install the masts needed to operate the service. ‘We were taken by surprise at the level of opposition,’ he said. Mr Williams said the company had received permission from the Environment Department to use a number of sites around the island ‘mainly based on mast sharing’.

No More Masts pressure group chairman Colin Fallaize was not surprised to hear Airtel indicating it would be able to meet the OUR’s requirements.