Speculation is rife that an agreement could be reached between British communications giant Cable & Wireless and new mobile entrant AT&T Wireless of the United States over the lease of government lands at Koblal in St. Andrew's.

Last month, Attorneys for Cable & Wireless, Wilkinson, Wilkinson & Wilkinson filed an injunction in the St. George's High Court demanding AT&T to remove an antenna it had erected on the controversial lands.

Cable and Wireless claimed that it was leasing the lands from government and that the erection of an AT&T tower which is also being used by another mobile provider, the Irish firm, Digicel was illegal.

AT&T Wireless is known to have written to the Grenada government last year seeking permission to use a number of properties owned by the State for the erection of towers to boost its mobile coverage across the island.

According to company officials, the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands on August 19, 2003 gave its approval for towers to be erected at Grand Etang, Koblal, Point Salines, Mt. Gozo, Mt. Hope. Mt. St. Catherine and Richmond Hill in St. George's.

AT&T's General Manager, Susan Roberts told reporters at a press conference held Monday at her Grand Anse headquarters that the company built towers based on the written permission of government.

According to Roberts, the sites are important in order to boost AT&T signals between Grenada and neighbouring St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

She indicated that the law firm representing the company, Grant, Joseph and Company did not receive any prior warning notice from Cable& Wireless on the issue but that it was served with an injunction from Cable & Wireless preventing it from using the lands at Koblal.

She admitted that Cable and Wireless did have a lease agreement with government for use of the lands since 1974 but that it expired in 1999.

This was also confirmed in a letter obtained by this newspaper and sent to Cable & Wireless' legal representatives by the island's Solicitor General, Nicholas Barnes.

The Barnes letter pointed out that Cable & Wireless should have had the lease renewed three months ago but it had failed to do so.

"...Your clients (Cable & Wireless) remained on the property pending negotiations over a renewal of the lease on similar terms and conditions. However no new lease has yet been entered into and accordingly your clients only occupy pursuant to a licence granted by government", Barnes told Wilkinson, Wilkinson & Wilkinson.

"It is our understanding that AT&T's occupation in no way interferes with your clients business activities and has not caused your clients any disruption. In the circumstances we would have thought that the two parties should be able to reach agreement over the site which government can then presumably accommodate. We assume that it will not therefore be necessary for government to become directly involved", he added in the letter.

A spokesman for Cable & Wireless offered no comment on the issue other than to say that the matter is currently before the law courts.

On March 22, both parties appeared before High Court Judge Justice Kenneth Benjamin who instructed that the lands at Koblal be surveyed with the intention of allowing the two parties to get separate parcels to conduct their operations.

Robert allayed fears from AT&T customers and those of Digicel who thought that the tower might be removed from the site due to the injunction filed by Cable & Wireless.

She sees the matter being resolved peacefully to allow AT&T to continue with its business of providing quality service to its customers throughout the country.