NorthwesTel says it will work to keep customers

NorthwesTel says competition in the telephone market is to be expected and its employees are ready to meet the challenge.

President Paul Flaherty made the statement Friday in response to this week's ruling from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to open local phone service in the North to competition in May 2012.

Flaherty said he's not sure what kind of competition will show up in the North, but his staff are doing all they can to keep customers with NorthwesTel.

"You know it's very difficult to predict what competitors will do but the notion that every highway in the Yukon will have cell phone service along every metre of it, I don't think that's practical," he said.

"You know often people think the grass is greener on the other side and there will be some who will experiment when that happens, but our challenge is to make sure we win and earn all the customers we have going forward."

At the same time, Flaherty said he's confused by parts of the ruling criticizing NorthwesTel services.

The company says it has spent $435 million on its infrastructure in northern Canada in the last 10 years.

He said regulatory staff continue to study the decision to determine if an appeal is warranted.