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Santo Domingo.- Company CWC Cable & Wireless Communications Dominican Republic, branch C&W the Caribbean/LIME on Thursday revealed that they’ll start tend a submerged cable at a cost of US$35M this year, to establish a leading edge for international telecomm transmission system to link Jamaica, Dominican Republic and the British Virgin Islands.
The system, dubbed the East-West Cable, is an ambitious project that includes the installation of optic fiber cable equipment that links transmission terminals in three countries.
David Shaw, CEO of C&W of the Caribbean made the announcement and stressed that the project will provide higher capacity to the communications network in the region and especially in Dominican Republic.
He said in addition that with the new integrated system transmission it would increase the competitiveness for operators telecommunications by means the diminution costs international transmission which will be translated in better service Internet in the country.
“The installation of this underwater cable will result in an increase of the options for high speed broadband connectivity, lowering interconnection costs and having an immediate impact in cost reduction in Internet and telephone service. For being part of an integrated optical fiber communications system which links the entire Caribbean region, the new cable will allow better connectivity with all countries of the region including the United States and Latin America,” the executive said,
Shaw added the 900 gigabyte-capacity optic fiber cable will span 1,750 kilometers from the British Virgin Islands to the port at Haina, 10 kilometers west of the Dominican capital.
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Interview: David Shaw of Cable & Wireless’s Lime
01 March 2010
Just 18 months since Cable & Wireless rebranded and united its 13 Caribbean operations, the new Lime is to purchase new broadband technology
C&W’s rebranded Lime to invest in new networks across Caribbean
David Shaw: following the rebrand, Lime has to upgrade
the network to make sure it’s fit for purpose
Chief executives in the telecoms industry are familiar with the challenges of being an incumbent suddenly faced with competition. The habits of years, as a monopoly or even as a government department, have to be overturned and staff have to learn commercial ways of doing business.
David Shaw, CEO of Lime in the Caribbean, has that challenge many times over, for his company is the effectively the incumbent in 13 varied Caribbean island countries and territories.
Most of his customers are in the respectably large independent country of Jamaica; but some are in tiny islands such as Anguilla, with 14,000
“It’s a wonderfully diverse range, with all the developing country issues they face,” says Shaw, who took over as CEO in July 2009.
Lime’s an unfamiliar brand to most people. It was created by Cable & Wireless, the company that owns the 13 operations, in late 2008 as part of its strategy to relaunch and modernise the operations.
“We called the project One Caribbean, to symbolise our efforts to find a way of using the scale advantages that we have,” he explains. It’s meant a slimming down of the operations in some of the smaller islands. “We had 13 financial teams, 13 human resources departments, 13 engineering teams, 13 billing and customer care systems, and so on.
Now, Lime has concentrated “eight or nine call centres into two or three”, with a shared service centre for finance and back office systems. Operations are now concentrated in two largest islands in terms of population, Jamaica and Barbados.
The change means Lime has lost 800-900 staff. “In some of the smaller markets that was difficult, but our cost base was out of kilter with our competitors’.” In every market “there are at least two mobile providers if not three”. Lime provides fixed services in 12 of the 13: in Antigua the fixed network is still a state monopoly.
“Digicel operates in all the markets we’re in,” he adds. “It’s a vibrant competitive scene.” Lime is the leading mobile operator in nine of the 13, though privately owned Digicel is bigger in the largest market, Jamaica. “My job is to try to knock them off their perch.”
In an article titled: "Foreign Markets: Big Opportunities, Big Risks" The Company is highlighted for its master build-to-suit services and license agreement with Vertical International for the construction of the wireless facilities for the network being launched in the Dominican Republic. As previously announced, the article mentions Vertical's commitment to build 450 towers for Earthcom over the next 5 years.
O2 Secure Wireless, Inc. recently announced that the Company's wholly owned subsidiary, Earthcom Service Inc., has entered into a Lease Agreement to secure Retail Space in the Capital City of Higuey; crowning its efforts to secure a number of well positioned properties for the erecting of towers that will encompass the territory with unparalleled service coverage.