Hawaiian Tel previously had said it would resume offering mainland service - a market that opened to the carrier following the February signing of the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996 - but it wasn't able to pinpoint a date.
With Wednesday's action, the company is the only one locally that can offer local, interisland, mainland and international phone service - seen as a key advantage as companies jockey for business in the fast-changing telecommunications market.
"Customers tell us they want three things: the convenience of having all their telecommunications services on one bill, reliable service from a company they can depend on and a simple long-
distance savings plan," said John Havens, director of GTE Long Distance, the long-distance arm of GTE Corp., HawTel's parent. "That's what GTE offers."
Hawaiian Tel said it is offering discounts of 10 percent to residential customers who spend as little as $10 monthly on long-distance services; at $25 or more, the discount rises to 25 percent.
Long-distance competitors have complained that Hawaiian Tel would have an unfair advantage by getting into the mainland market while they are prevented - at least for now - from offering local phone service.
The Public Utilities Commission is about to adopt rules that will spell out how competitors can access Hawaiian Tel's network to be able to offer local service. But carriers still must negotiate with Hawaiian Tel and, if an access agreement can't be reached, ask the PUC to mediate. That process, under state and federal regulations, could last as long as nine months.
"This (development) makes it more essential than ever for the Hawaii commission to provide a level playing field," said George Irion, a director for AT&T Hawaii, which plans to offer local service as soon as the rules permit it.
Nonie Toledo, regional director for Long Distance/USA-Sprint, said she expects Sprint to offer local service by year's end.
Toldedo downplayed the advantage Hawaiian Tel will have by bundling services, saying consumers are sophisticated enough to look at more than just convenience in picking carriers.
Hawaiian Tel had to get out of the mainland market in 1984 when its parent purchased Sprint, an interstate carrier. GTE sold its Sprint interest in 1994.