It was thanks to Telecom who, on the evening before the agreed connection date, had delayed issuing the permit Clear required to link Telecom's toll system and launch its prices and toll services. The interconnection agreement for toll by-pass had been signed on March 4, although a second deal allowing Clear access to Telecom's local services was still being negotiated. Interconnection, the linchpin connecting two or more telecommunications networks, allows calls to flow between them. It is critical to the promotion of a competitive market; customers of one network need to be able to communicate with customers of the other, and customers of one network need to access the competitive services of another.