---
title: ATC and Smile dispute bounced back to arbitration - Developing Telecoms
description: The Ugandan High Court’s commercial division has ruled that Smile Communications and American Tower Corp must settle their dispute via arbitration.
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 [Operators](https://developingtelecoms.com/telecom-business/operator-news.html)## ATC and Smile dispute bounced back to arbitration

 

 

   Details    James Barton    Category: [Operators](https://developingtelecoms.com/telecom-business/operator-news.html)     20 September 2023     7434 views   

 

  ![ATC and Smile dispute bounced back to arbitration](https://developingtelecoms.com/images/stories/Places/800x600/kampala_downtown_600.jpg)  

 

The Ugandan High Court’s commercial division has ruled that Smile Communications and American Tower Corp must settle their dispute via arbitration.

According to local outlet The Monitor, an arbitrator will be appointed to the case within 30 days. [The case relates to ATC’s disconnecting of Smile’s services in January 2022, following which Smile has been unable to provide services.](https://developingtelecoms.com/telecom-business/operator-news/15133-uganda-s-smile-blames-atc-for-15-month-outage.html)

Smile requested that the court determine whether ATC’s action constituted an illegal breach of contract, and is seeking UGX7.86 billion (USD2.1 million) in compensation along with an additional settlement for economic distress and damage to goodwill.

ATC has argued that the case should be settled by arbitration as per the terms of its contract with Smile. While the tower firm was initially backed by a previous arbitration hearing, this was later overruled in court.

 

 

   
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