41.   The company attributed the deteriorating performance to the collapse of the telecom cable market and disruption fueled by illegal immigrants.

42.   The telecom market is driven by intense international competition, the expansion of high-speed services and growth of the mobile phone sector.

43.   The United States says freeing the telecom market is essential to building a global information superhighway to help increase education levels and to jump start economies.

44.   Three other countries, Barbados, Cyprus and Surinam, have also agreed to open up their domestic telecoms markets.

45.   They say that having the backing of a foreign government creates an unfair playing field in the telecom market.

46.   Washington wants to be able to reject license applications from countries whose telecom markets are considered too closed.

47.   He will use the occasion to press Japan on liberalisation of its telecoms market, the department of trade and industry said.

48.   If the deal gets the go-ahead from US authorities it would mark the first time full access to the US telecoms market was granted a foreign firm.

49.   In December, NTT President Junichiro Miyazu said the company planned to enter the international telecoms market following an agreement with the government.

50.   Altogether, the telecom market represents an annual turnover of some four billion euros.