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Digicel completes acquisition of Bermuda Telecom – Caribbean

Tue, 16 Jun 2015 02:57:37 GMT

Digicel completes acquisition of Bermuda Telecom – Caribbean

Caribbean and Central American mobile operator Digicel has completed the acquisition of Bermuda Telephone Company (BTC), according to local press reports.

The Bermuda Regulatory Authority (RAB) approved the sale on May 11. The transaction, which was announced in January, when Digicel offered 30mn Bermudian dollars (US$30mn) to buy BTC from Canada-led Barrie Holdings.

The acquisition will allow Digicel to offer triple play services on the island, combining BTC’s fixed voice and broadband with its own mobile offerings.

Digicel Bermuda CEO, Robin Seale, said, “Digicel is already heavily investing in increasing the capacity of our service and the acquisition of BTC will provide the framework to broaden that even further; growing our business.”

Digicel entered the Bermudan telecom market in 2012 after it acquired local operator Transact. The company held a 41% mobile market share last year, while the remaining 59% were CellOne users.

BTC accounted for 42% of broadband users last year, with CableVision leading the market with 45%.

SPOTLIGHT: Cuba’s journey on the internet

Mon, 15 Jun 2015 03:11:18 GMT

SPOTLIGHT: Cuba’s journey on the internet

Cuba is on the brink of a new era, what with the US announcing the rekindling of relations, and the island taking steps to open up its borders and provide its citizens with public internet access.

The country’s telecom and IT market remains one of the most underdeveloped in Latin America.The latest data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) places Cuba’s internet penetration at 25.7% as of 2013, according to a report from watchdog Freedom House.

For one, the country must modernize its crumbling telecom infrastructure. Cuba began receiving internet service in 2013 through a connection with Jamaica via submarine cable.

Etecsa, the country’s sole telecom provider, announced it would be launching Wi-Fi hotspots in 2015, and expanding public internet access centers in the country. It currently has 154, up from 118 in 2013.

The company also began selling household internet on September 15, 2014. According to local daily Diario de Cuba, the firm charges 10 convertible pesos (US$10) per month for 20hrs of internet, while 50hrs cost 15 convertible pesos and 220hrs cost 60 convertible pesos. Additional hours cost 0.30 convertible pesos.

Internet prices in Cuba have been criticized as being too high, as the average working class Cuban has a monthly salary of around US$20, according to the report.

In March, the country began allowing citizens to have their e-mail connections accessible via mobile phones. By November, there were some 460,000 users of the service, the Freedom House report added.

Etecsa has said it plans to make an additional 800,000 mobile lines available, bringing the total in the country to more than 3mn since Raúl Castro’s government lifted the ban on mobile lines in 2008. Cubans are now allowed to register to up to three mobile lines since November. Previously, each customer could register just one line.

The US announced its intention to invest in the country’s web network, but the specifics remain unknown.

The Cuban government continues to control the legal and institutional structures that determine who has access to the internet and how much access will be permitted. This regulation extends to the sale and distribution of internet-related equipment.

Cuba to maintain mobile rates

Mon, 15 Jun 2015 03:09:22 GMT

Cuba to maintain mobile rates

Cuba’s state-owned telecom Etecsa does not plan to lower its mobile phone plans, despite the fact that current rates are too high for most citizens.

According to local daily Diario de Cuba, the firm currently charges 10 convertible pesos (US$10) per month for 20 hours of internet, while 50 hours cost 15 convertible pesos and 220 hours cost 60 convertible pesos. Additional hours cost 0.30 convertible pesos.

These prices have been criticized as being too high, as the average working class Cuban has a monthly salary of around US$20.

Cuba’s mobile rates are too high for most citizens. (CREDIT: AFP)

Luis Manuel Díaz, Etecsa communications director, told Cubanet.org that the telco has no plans to lower the rates, except for international calls.

The telco expects to activate 800,000 new mobile lines and 30,000 landlines in 2015, according to Díaz, up 42% from 2014, when the company added 565,000 new mobile users.

The island has 2.4mn active mobile accounts since Raúl Castro’s government lifted the ban on mobile lines in 2008. Cubans are allowed to register to up to three mobile lines since November.

How will initial US investment affect Cuba’s telecom market?

Mon, 15 Jun 2015 03:06:38 GMT

How will initial US investment affect Cuba’s telecom market?

Cuba’s journey towards a better telecom market – which began in 2008 when the government allowed citizens to own mobile phones for the first time – accelerated when, on the heels of newly rekindled relations with the US, the latter opened up the way for companies to invest in Cuba’s barely functioning telecoms industry.

The US and Cuba signed an agreement to halt animosity in December, and it took three months for the first investment deal to take place: Cuba’s state-owned telecom provider Etecsa and US international telephony provider IDT agreed to exchange international long-distance voice traffic between both countries.

The agreement was filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for review, and it should resolve the matter within 10 days.

The interconnection, of which technical details are still unknown, will “ultimately help make it easier and more affordable for our customers to call friends and family in Cuba,” according to Bill Pereira, CEO of IDT.

Should it move forward, the interconnection will provide a much-needed push to the country’s telecom industry. Cuba’s telecom and IT market remains one of the most underdeveloped in Latin America, with the island’s internet penetration estimated at 25.7% as of 2013, according to data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Digicel deploys LTE in Turks & Caicos – Caribbean

Mon, 15 Jun 2015 03:04:15 GMT

Digicel deploys LTE in Turks & Caicos – Caribbean

Digicel has launched its LTE network in Turks & Caicos, becoming the first operator to offer the service on the Caribbean Island.

The operator, which controls 94% of the mobile market on the island, according to the Turks & Caicos Sun, will start offering the service on the islands of Providenciales, Grand Turk and North Caicos. The remaining islands will be covered in the near future.

Turks & Caicos is the last in a spree of LTE deployment across the Caribbean. Choice Wireless launched its network in the US Virgin Islands in January, whereas LIME did so in Antigua & Barbuda in November. Puerto Rico, Dominica and the Cayman Islands also have operative networks.

Latin America ended 2014 with 12mn LTE subscriptions, representing 488% growth compared to the 2mn subscriptions seen the previous year, according to 4G Americas. The leading countries in the LTE race are Brazil, Colombia and Mexico.

GSMA predicted that 4G LTE networks will reach over three quarters of Latin Americans by 2020.

Jamaica to roll out number portability on May 31 – Jamaica

Mon, 15 Jun 2015 03:02:25 GMT

Jamaica to roll out number portability on May 31 – Jamaica

Jamaica is getting ready to roll out number portability on May 31.

Starting June, Jamaican fixed and mobile phone users will be able to change providers without switching their number.

Patrick King, director of customer solutions at Digicel, said the company is ready for the roll-out, while Flow corporate communications manager Naomi Francis said that its fixed line service will continue to operate normally, Jamaica Information Service reported.

Lime head of corporate communications Elon Parkinson said the company is currently carrying out tests to meet the launch date.

Jamaica is the latest country in the Caribbean to announce portability services. Haiti is due to launch it later this year, after delaying it to November.

Several countries in Latin America have been focused on improving their portability services. Costa Rica recently passed a law mandating the process must take no more than 48 hours, while Mexico’s IFT ordered that numbers should be ported within a day.

Choice Wireless deploys LTE in US Virgin Islands – Caribbean, Virgin Islands

Thu, 15 Jan 2015 03:14:23 GMT

Choice Wireless deploys LTE in US Virgin Islands – Caribbean, Virgin Islands

US Virgin Islands (USVI) operator Choice Wireless began deployment of 4G LTE technology, the St Croix Source reported.

The company expects to be able to offer LTE on the islands of St Thomas and St John, with connectivity in St Croix to follow.

Choice has already invested US$2.7mn in the network expansion, and plans to invest an additional US$2mn to bring LTE service to all of its customers.

The company, which operates in the USVI since 1999, is the largest internet provider across the US territory. Choice is a subsidiary of Atlantic Tele-Network, a fixed and wireless provider that has operations in North America and the Caribbean.

According to Telegeography, the USVI contains a mixture of local companies including Innovative Telephone (formerly Vitelcom) and Choice Wireless – and regional offshoots of US operators.

According to the Global Suppliers’ Association, Sprint commercially launched its band 25 LTE networks in April, 2013, while AT&T Mobility commercially launched band 17 LTE on St Croix and St Thomas in July 2013.

T-Mobile acquired spectrum following its 2007 purchase of SunCom Wireless Holdings, although it lacks a fully fledged commercial presence there, according to Telegeography.

Verizon has an indirect presence via international roaming agreements.

Puerto Rico, another US territory, was the first in the Caribbean region to deploy LTE back in November 2011. The island has five deployments. Elsewhere in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic has three deployments and Antigua and Barbuda has two.

SPOTLIGHT: Futurecom changes hands – Brazil, Regional

Thu, 15 Jan 2015 03:08:04 GMT

SPOTLIGHT: Futurecom changes hands – Brazil, Regional

Latin America’s main information and telecom event, Futurecom, has changed hands.

After 16 editions, the conference was sold by the Veiga family, who created and organized it through the Provisuale events company, to UK’s Informa Telecom & Media group.

Contacted by BNamericas, Informa confirmed that the deal closed on the eve of Futurecom 2014. The company did not disclose a value for the transaction.

Informa is known for a series of conferences on ICT held around the world, including the LTE Latin America Forum, and events focused on MVNOs, cloud computing and TV.

Futurecom’s former owners will remain involved in the event’s organization during a transition period involving the next two editions.

The news that the Brazilian event was sold to a foreign group is highly symbolic, as it marks the end of an era for the conference, as well as suggesting that consolidation might be around the corner not only for the country’s telecom sector, but also for its events industry.

Futurecom arose in 1991 from Semint, the first telecom event created by engineer Laudálio Veiga Filho, who at the time worked for the now defunct Paraná state telco Telepar.

The first official Futurecom conference, however, took place in 1999. Held in Santa Catarina state capital Florianópolis, the event brought together 3,000 participants.

After ten years being held in Santa Catarina, the conference was moved to São Paulo until 2011.

The event went to Rio de Janeiro in 2012-13, returning to São Paulo last year.

Last year’s edition, held in October, gathered 14,500 unique visitors, 4,500 congress delegates, 302 speakers and 350 exhibitors.

Although the event has grown in size and scope, it cannot compare to Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress (MWC), currently the world’s most important telecom conference. Last year’s MWC featured 85,000 attendees and over 1,800 exhibitors, according to is organizers.

Futurecom 2015 is scheduled for October 26-29 in São Paulo.

eMerge Americas, NBCUniversal News Group and Telemundo Announce Partnership

Wed, 14 Jan 2015 03:16:14 GMT

eMerge Americas, NBCUniversal News Group and Telemundo Announce Partnership

MIAMI & NEW YORK, January 14, 2015 – eMerge Americas , NBCUniversal News Group and Telemundo today announced that they have entered into a multi-year media partnership. As part of the agreement, NBC News, CNBC, MSNBC and Telemundo will offer viewers and users exclusive access to this groundbreaking global technology conference, which takes place in Miami on May 1-5, 2015.

“We created eMerge Americas because there was no bridge connecting the rest of world to the dynamic economic and technological growth occurring in Latin America,” said Manuel D. Medina, Managing Partner of Medina Capital and founder of eMerge Americas. “With more than 6,000 attendees, over 400 participating global companies and more than 100 sponsors in our first year, eMerge Americas is well on its way to becoming the most important technology event for all the Americas and significantly accelerating Miami’s ascent as the next great technology epicenter. Partnering with the respected networks of NBCUniversal News Group and Telemundo is critical to further shining a light on our important mission.”

“All of the NBCUniversal News Group properties are constantly seeking new ways to deepen our engagement with news consumers,” said Pat Fili-Krushel, Chairman, NBCUniversal News Group. “In aligning with eMerge Americas, we have a chance to focus intensively on a compelling yet under-reported story: the transformation and innovation happening all across the Americas.”

“Latinos are technically savvy, socially connected and early adopters, wielding a buying power in excess of $1 trillion,” said Joe Uva, Chairman, NBCUniversal, Hispanic Enterprises and Content. “Partnering with e-Merge to leverage NBCUniversal’s unmatched reach among all U.S. Hispanics across both languages will allow technology innovators and disruptors to tap into one of the fastest growing markets in the U.S. and throughout Latin America.”

DIGICEL MODERNIZES ITS MOBILE DATA NETWORKS WITH ALEPO AAA SOLUTION

Wed, 07 Jan 2015 03:32:07 GMT

DIGICEL MODERNIZES ITS MOBILE DATA NETWORKS WITH ALEPO AAA SOLUTION

Digicel Jamaica added Alepo’s Carrier-Grade AAA Server to its mobile network in order to support a rapidly growing subscriber base on 2.5G (GPRS), 3G, and 4G (HSPA+) mobile broadband networks.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015, Austin, TX — Alepo, a leading provider of network and IT solutions for communications service providers worldwide, announced today that Digicel Jamaica has deployed Alepo’s Carrier-Grade AAA Server to support the rapidly growing demand for mobile broadband services over 2.5G, 3G, and 4G (HSPA+) networks. The announcement underscores the longstanding partnership between Alepo and Digicel, which spans numerous projects over five years and twelve Digicel markets in the Caribbean and Southern Asia.

Digicel Jamaica enlisted Alepo to upgrade its mobile AAA infrastructure as the company’s growth in mobile subscribers outpaced the previous AAA server’s capabilities. Digicel Jamaica cited a need for a carrier-grade solution that offered greater performance, reliability, and endless scalability as the demand for mobile data continues to surge upward. The Alepo AAA infrastructure will support over one million mobile subscribers across twelve countries on 2.5G, 3G, and 4G mobile networks.

“Our continued experience working with Alepo has given us confidence in this network investment as well as in Alepo’s ability to deliver a robust solution able to support our growing customer base,” said Krishna Phillips, Digicel Jamaica CTO.

According to the 2014 Cisco Visual Network Index, mobile data usage is set to grow 11-fold in the next five years. This heightens the importance of the role of AAA in the mobile broadband environment in order to properly monitor and enforce accounting parameters as well as to reduce signaling strain on the network.

“Alepo understands that mobile broadband is the impetus to growing operator revenues and delivering a sophisticated customer experience, and we’re proud to work closely with Digicel Jamaica to expand its mobile data networks,” said Brandon Johnson, Vice President of Services at Alepo. “Alepo’s AAA Infrastructure has been a cornerstone of our products, and it continues to prove itself as legacy systems fail and fall behind.”

Jamaica gives nod to CWC-Flow merger

Wed, 07 Jan 2015 03:24:30 GMT

Jamaica gives nod to CWC-Flow merger

The Government has approved the acquisition of Columbus Communications by Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC), but Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Minister Phillip Paulwell is asserting that he was able to achieve major concessions for consumers in return for the approval.

CWC Chairman Phil Bentley had announced in November of last year that the company would be purchasing Columbus Communications, which operates subscriber television and broadband services in nine Caribbean territories, for approximately US$3 billion.

While conceding there was little the Government could do to block the multibillion-dollar merger, Paulwell was quick to point out that CWC had agreed to a number of provisions that would benefit consumers over time.

“The law is quite clear how an application like that is to be dealt with, and it doesn’t give the minister a lot of room. It says the minister shall approve such application once the OUR (Office of Utilities Regulation) is satisfied with certain basic things,” stressed Paulwell.

“What I have sought to do is to go beyond the law and to extract certain conditions, which I’m pleased that the company has accepted fulsomely, because I wanted to ensure that we would preserve competition as much as possible and protect the interest of the consumer.”

Paulwell said included in those concessions were commitments for CWC to preserve access to Flow’s undersea fibre cables, LIME poles, as well as other broadband entry points to the country to Digicel and other competitors. He added that LIME had also acceded to the demand that it be ready for number portability by May 31 of this year.

Paulwell said these concessions would not only ensure that customers receive the best value, but would also encourage new players to enter the market, which could ultimately, drive down the high cost of Internet connectivity in the island.

“I think the companies would be foolhardy if they do not address the pricing issue in relation to access to the Internet, because what has happened since the announcement of this merger is that the level of interest of investors in this sector has grown, and I am encouraging new players to come in as we will be quite happy to allocate new spectrums for them to participate, and I am sure this is going to happen.”

TELEFONICA EXTENDS ITS CAPACITY NETWORK IN THE UNITED STATES THROUGH AN AGREEMENT WITH ALLIED FIBER

Wed, 07 Jan 2015 03:19:48 GMT

TELEFONICA EXTENDS ITS CAPACITY NETWORK IN THE UNITED STATES THROUGH AN AGREEMENT WITH ALLIED FIBER

The fiber will connect submarine cable landing stations and major peering points within the USA.
This deal will strengthen Telefonica’s International infrastructure in the Americas.

NEW YORK, MADRID, MIAMI AND JACKSONVILLE, – January 27, 2015 – Telefonica Global Solutions , a leading provider of integrated communication solutions, together with Allied Fiber , the United States’ first open access, integrated, network-neutral colocation and dark fiber superstructure, have signed a 20-year agreement for dark fiber in the United States, as well as neutral colocation and interconnection services which will strengthen Telefonica’s International infrastructures in America.

The following agreement provides Telefonica with dedicated access and use of its own physical network infrastructure within the Allied Fiber system enabling greater control of service provisioning, network scalability and costs. The Allied Fiber Southeast segment covers more than 360 miles throughout the State of Florida and was built specifically to serve network operators of all types including, national, regional and metro carriers, as well as submarine cable networks.

Telefonica is present in America throughout its state of the art submarine cable Sam-1 connecting USA and Latin America and its brand new PCCS cable system that covers 3,700 miles and allows Telefonica to diversify the access points to the USA, increase the connectivity with Colombia, Ecuador and Central America and offer a better service to its MNC´s and Wholesale customers in terms of capacity, security and network diversity.

“With this infrastructure, Telefonica will increase reliability and diversity through its global network. This will result in improved quality of experience for final customers” states Serafin Borrego, IT, Network and Platforms Director within Telefonica Global Solutions .

“Telefonica is a marquee customer for Allied Fiber” comments Hunter Newby, CEO of Allied Fiber . “We are very pleased to have this relationship with such an established global service provider and we look forward to working with them in the future,” added Hunter.

About Telefonica Global Solutions

Telefonica Global Solutions manages globally the multinational, wholesale and roaming business within the Telefonica Group. Global Solutions delivers integrated fixed, mobile and IT services to some of the world’s top multinationals and corporations. It also provides global telecommunication services for fixed and mobile carriers, ISPs and content providers. Telefonica Global Solutions develops an integrated and competitive portfolio for carriers and corporations that include international voice, IP, bandwidth capacity, satellite services, mobility and global solutions, with service reach in more than 170 countries, working in partnership with 24 leading telcos operating in 45 countries. Global Solutions is a multicultural organization, with more than 1,400 employees, working in over 40 countries and speaking more than 15 languages.

About Allied Fiber

Allied Fiber was created as the first national, open access, integrated, network-neutral colocation and dark fiber superstructure in the United States. Allied Fiber offers a combined long-haul and multi-access point, short-haul fiber optic system coupled with its own colocation facilities to provide control of the underlying physical assets to all network operators. Established in 2008, the Allied Fiber system is designed to link the international subsea cable landing points in the United States while also providing intermediate access along the route for the inclusion of local networks in to the global network architecture. By managing communications infrastructure as a real estate business for network operators the company has developed a unique platform that enables its customers’ growth and profitability, which drives its own.

Jamaican government eyes regulating, taxing VoIP OTT providers – Jamaica –

Tue, 16 Dec 2014 03:34:33 GMT

Jamaican government eyes regulating, taxing VoIP OTT providers – Jamaica –

Jamaica’s government has said it plans to regulate and also collect tax from voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) telephony providers, local newspaper The Gleaner reported.

Minister of science, technology, energy and mining Phillip Paulwell said that VoIP regulations were currently being drafted.

“The ministry for finance and planning needs to collect revenue,” Paulwell said.

The news comes as part of a probe carried out by utilities regulator OUR in recent months after Caribbean operators Digicel and LIME attempted to block from their networks the use of unlicensed VoIP service providers like Viber and Nimbuzz, which allow free calls worldwide using smartphones.

Paulwell said that no particular VoIP over-the-top (OTT) provider would be singled out.

“We are hoping to encourage Jamaican programmers,” he said, while noting that a “distinction” will be made regarding “pure voice” services.

Digicel’s director of international business Conor Clarke told BNamericas in August the company had been trying to force services like Viber into contractual arrangements, accusing these providers of illegal bypassing by terminating traffic on their networks without paying fees and also of adding pressure to their broadband networks.

However, attempts to block the unlicensed VoIP operators have met with a customer backlash against the operators, The Gleaner reported.

Digicel and LIME’s UK-based parent company Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) were both quoted by the paper as welcoming the move.

“While we were not aware of the regulations mentioned by the minister, we do welcome the proactive response to the issues related to VoIP calls,” Digicel reportedly said in an emailed statement.

CWC commented: “We have long maintained that VoIP operators have been utilizing the network of telecoms providers without any commensurate compensation for this service. In doing so, they are also depriving the government of tax revenue.”

The newspaper reported that Jamaican programmers and tech entrepreneurs do not view such regulation as a positive move, saying blocking free VoIP providers stifles innovation in a sector where startups have limited access to capital.

They have also claimed that the blockade goes against the principles of net neutrality, where VoIP services ought to be treated as part of the data package paid for by broadband subscribers.

Cable & Wireless buys Columbus Intl

Sun, 14 Dec 2014 13:49:20 GMT

Cable & Wireless buys Columbus Intl

LONDON (AFP) – British telecoms firm Cable & Wireless Communications, parent company of LIME, on Thursday agreed to buy Barbados-based peer Columbus International, operators of Flow Jamaica, for US$1.85 billion.

CWC said in a statement that it will also assume US $1.17 billion of Columbus debt, taking the total value of the transaction to US $3.02 billion.

Privately-owned Columbus is a leading fibre-based telecommunications and technology services provider in the Caribbean, Central America and the Andean region.

London-listed CWC will pay $707.5 million in cash, with the rest in shares. It will fund the acquisition via a share placing totaling ten percent of the group.

Caribbean telecom watchdog to probe CWC-Columbus deal – Caribbean

Thu, 02 Oct 2014 13:47:37 GMT

Caribbean telecom watchdog to probe CWC-Columbus deal – Caribbean

Caribbean telecom authority Ectel has warned that the acquisition of Columbus International by Cable & Wireless (CWC) could be in breach of their licenses if they were to engage in activities that prevented or distorted competition, Antigua Observer reported.

The watchdog said the merger could have a negative impact on the telecoms sector, as CWC’s increased dominance could damage the benefits brought in by the liberalization of the market. Ectel will review the information submitted by CWC, as well as current regulations and legislation regarding competition.

Rival Digicel said in a statement that it welcomed the investigation. “Digicel confirms its willingness and desire to engage with Ectel and the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commissions such that a proper rigorous review of the telecommunications markets and the proposed acquisition can be undertaken,” the company said.

Digicel had expressed its opposition to the merger since its announcement.

According to Digicel, CWC and Columbus stated that regulatory approvals would only be required in the US, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. Digicel considered the statement an “insult” to the authorities of Caribbean countries, particularly Grenada, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

CWC announced its intention to purchase the totality of Columbus International for US$1.85bn in November.