A week after telecommunications company LIME filed a lawsuit against its rival Digicel, Digicel has taken legal action against LIME.

Digicel Jamaica today filed an arbitration claim against LIME in relation to what it calls significant amounts of unpaid interconnection fees.

The arbitration claim has been filed by Digicel with the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris.

Digicel said the interconnection fees arise from LIME’s unilateral decision to reduce the contractually agreed interconnect fees payable to its rival.

According to Digicel, since July 2009, LIME has been underpaying Digicel approximately US$650,000 per month.

Digicel said the underpayments are in breach of the interconnection agreement signed between Digicel and Cable and Wireless now LIME in April 2001.

Digicel is also claiming that LIME is attempting to unravel a well-established and well-understood pricing regime that has been in place.

The claim by Digicel follows the decision of the Jamaica High Court to stay LIME’s US$43 million claim against Digicel earlier this year.

LIME had opposed Digicel’s application to have those proceedings stayed by the Jamaican Courts.

Today Justice Marva McDonald-Bishop ruled in favour of Digicel.

Up to news time were not able to get a response from LIME.

In the meantime LIME has filed a claim against Digicel to recover losses because of Digicel’s pricing regime to make calls from Digicel cell phone and LIME landlines.