Tricom Forms Roaming Agreement With BellSouth International Wireless

In an effort to provide greater coverage for its customers, Tricom (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) has signed an international mobile roaming agreement with BellSouth International Wireless Services (BSI-WS). The agreement makes Tricom a member of the Pan American Roaming Consortium (PARC) established by BSI-WS in 1997.

PARC membership allows cellular providers to roam seamlessly throughout North, Central, and South American cellular markets, without having to enter into separate point-of-service agreements with specific local carriers. The PARC represents more than 20 Latin American and Caribbean members serving more than 12 million subscribers and has plans to expand into Europe and Asia.

BSI-WS provides a roaming network connecting wireless carriers in South, Central, and North America, as well as the Caribbean. It also provides roaming clearinghouse and fraud management to the wireless industry through an intelligent signaling network. The clearinghouse serves as a "broker" among operators by developing relationships with carriers throughout the Western Hemisphere, as well as by incorporating existing roaming agreements between carriers.

With PARC membership, Tricom's cellular and PCS clients will be able to carry out and receive cellular calls not only to and from the United States but also involving Latin American countries that are members of the PARC group. At the same time, other PARC member cellular clients will be able to carry out and receive cellular calls while visiting the Dominican Republic.

Edited by Ellen Jensen