If the company successfully pulls off its plan, it would become the first competitor to GTE Hawaiian Tel in the local arena.
But GST still must negotiate an agreement with Hawaiian Tel to connect calls from GST's limited phone network to Hawaiian Tel's, which serves the entire state.
Rob Volker, GST vice president, last night said he didn't anticipate a problem negotiating the interconnect agreement, primarily because Hawaiian Tel is bound by federal law to provide that access and because the agreement would be similar to what the utility already has with other carriers, such as cellular companies.
"Hawaiian Tel may not be real happy with all the terms of the interconnect agreement," Volker said. "But it's not like they have any choice. It's the law of the land."
Hawaiian Tel executive Kevin Payne said how quickly the two companies can reach agreement depends largely on what GST is seeking. And even after the two companies come to terms, any agreement must be approved by the state Public Utilities Commission, Payne said. Asked if 30 days is realistic, Payne said, "That's pretty aggressive but we're willing to give it a shot."
GST initially plans to offer dial-tone service only to the roughly 30 buildings statewide that it already provides private-line service, Volker said. That way it can route the traffic over its system to a GST switching center, then route the calls to Hawaiian Tel.
As GST begins laying fiber-optic cables for its statewide network, the company will expand its reach, with at least 100-120 buildings hooked up by year's end, Volker said. Over the next 18 months, he added, the company expects to install about 400 miles of cable on the various islands.
GST also expects to offer service by leasing capacity from Hawaiian Tel and reselling the service to customers, but that route won't be available until complicated resell issues are resolved.
Volker said GST wants to launch service gradually so it can be sure the quality is up to its standards. Customers will likely only give GST one shot at trying the service, and "we want to make sure we don't disappoint these folks," Volker said.
GST's rates are pegged to be slightly less than what Hawaiian Tel now charges.
GST Telecom Hawaii is a subsidiary of Vancouver, Wash.-based GST Telecommunications Inc.