Government is to blame for the current uncertainty in Bermuda’s telecommunications industry, according to Shadow Telecommunications Minister Cole Simons.It follows the latest in a series of disputes between service providers over the issue of regulatory reform and has culminated in TeleBermuda International taking Digicel to court today over the launch of its new long-distance service ahead of the reform process.The Ministry of Telecommunications has declined to comment on Digicel’s new offering and whether it was granted.Mr Simons said that the industry had become frustrated with Government and despite years of discussions about the matter the regulatory environment of the Island’s telecoms sector remained outdated and it had fallen behind the advancements in global standards.He questioned why Digicel was given the go ahead to move forward with its new service in the first place and said the decision appeared to be “ultra vires”.And he called on Government to sit up and listen to the industry on the issue of unified licensing (providing bundled telephone, Internet and cable/long distance services) and bring the necessary legislation into force.“To remain competitive, we evolve with the international telecommunications industry,” he said. “We must adhere to best practices and international standards.“Our industry players have invested a lot of capital, and resources to be competitive globally and locally, so that they are not economically disadvantaged because Bermuda operates in an antiquated telecommunications environment.“Government must accept that the current alphabet system is a holdover from another era, and is now obsolete. They must listen to the industry with regards to the unified licencing structure, which is a bundled structure where our carriers are legally able to provide telephone, internet services and cable/long distance services to clients if they choose.“In light of this, it is crucial that they take this issue of off the back burner, and produce the required legislation within the next two months. In fact the Government must review and amend all of Bermuda’s telecommunications legislation to support this dynamic industry.”Mr Simons said that questions had to be raised about the reasons behind Digicel being given the green light and who permitted the long distance service, which appeared to form a part of a unified licensing package.“If they were given the green light by Government, then the decision appears to be ultra vires,” he said. “As we currently stand, Bermuda has no legislation to support this bundled service, even though it is on the radar.“On the same vein, until the new unified licencing legislation is passed through our Parliament, all carriers must follow the law, and operate in the space in which they are currently licenced. There can be no exceptions, as most of the players are law abiding corporate citizens, and should not be disadvantaged for following Bermuda’s laws. Our law abiding carriers who follow the rules can not be left with their feet in concrete at the starting line. There can be no abuse of process in favour of any company.“On the matter of the proposed regulatory authority, where do we stand on that issue? If we aspire to be a substantive global telecommunications player on the world scene, with best practices, we must get on with crafting Bermuda’s telecommunications authority.”