Digicel selects ZTE for 4G LTE expansion – Caribbean, Central America
UTS, TelEm Group revive merger talks – Caribbean
Flow launches 4G LTE in Barbados – Barbados
ICT tender: Barbados needs immigration services system – Regional
IN BRIEF: Dominican Rep to rely on fiber backbone to meet connectivity goal – Dominican R.

Digicel selects ZTE for 4G LTE expansion – Caribbean, Central America

By ZTE

March 29, 2017

ZTE Corporation a major international provider of telecommunications, enterprise and consumer technology solutions for the Mobile Internet, announced an agreement with Digicel Group to expand 4G LTE networks across its 26 marketsAncla in the Caribbean and Central America.

Digicel is deploying ZTE’s world-class 4G LTE solutions to deliver the highest-performance mobile broadband services to consumers and businesses across the region.

ZTE’s innovative 4G LTE solutions including Uni-RAN help Digicel upgrade and optimize its infrastructure as part of an ongoing network transformation program, providing subscribers with superior mobile Internet connectivity and coverage. ZTE Uni-RAN solutions will support network evolution at Digicel by enabling deployment of next-generation digital services and business innovations.

Deployed by mobile carriers around the world, ZTE’s Uni-RAN solution increases the network operation efficiency by prolonging the lifecycle of devices through network upgrades and smooth evolution. Based on ZTE’s SDR (Software Defined Radio) technology, Uni-RAN protects operators’ investment and dramatically reduces network costs and increases the stability and reliability of network operation.

Digicel recently announced its Digicel 2030 global transformation program promising customers a completely new communications and entertainment experience made possible by a more agile, customer-centric application of resources and investment.

UTS, TelEm Group revive merger talks – Caribbean

Talks are back on the table about the potential merger between Curacao-based United Telecommunications Services (UTS) and St Maarten’s TelEm Group, local newspaper The Daily Herald reported.

Speaking in parliament, St Maarten Prime minister William Marlin confirmed that discussions had been “revived” after the heads of the two companies met at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona last month.

Marlin said in September last year that once the process is complete, TelEm would have a majority stake of 60%, with UTS holding the remainder.

Marlin said there were no longer talks of bringing in a bigger regional partner from the outside. Talks were held in the past with Irish-owned Digicel, but those were halted as TelEm is of the opinion that no outside company should control the country’s telecom infrastructure, he said.

Marlin added that previous plans to acquire Dauphin Telecom, which operates in the French-speaking side of St Maarten, to provide island-wide coverage, had now been discarded, saying it was “not financially feasible.”

TelEm’s mobile arm TelCell will roll out 4G LTE at the end of May, according to The Daily Herald.

Flow launches 4G LTE in Barbados – Barbados

Telecommunications provider Flow, a subsidiary of Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC), officially launched its 4G LTE network in Barbados.

The telco invested over 70mn Barbadian dollars (US$35mn) in its network last year, which included the rollout of a fiber-to-the-home network and an upgrade to its 4G network. Flow now intends to invest an addition 80mn Barbadian dollars to expand its telecommunications infrastructure on the island nation.

Amid high expectations from the government, competitor Digicel launched the first LTE network in Barbados last October.

By the end of 2015, Barbados had the 11th fastest internet in the world and the fastest in the Caribbean, according to Internet Live Stats.

ICT tender: Barbados needs immigration services system – Regional

The government of Barbados, on behalf of the Barbados Tourism Investment association, invites interested firms to bid on a tender to improve the national immigration service.

The winning consultancy will develop a comprehensive results-based monitoring and evaluation system “with the goal of measuring the achievement of project outputs during implementation and achievement of the expected development outcomes,” a tender notice said.

Services will be carried out in six months.

Eligible consultancies may express interest by sending five hard copies of a proposal in a sealed envelope by 3pm on April 10 to the following address: Old Town Hall building, Cheapside, Bridgetown BB111142.

Further information might be obtained at the same location during working days or by writing to ddasilva@tourisminvest.com.bb

One hard copy must be sent simultaneously to the procurement officer of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), at St. Michael BB11000, BARBADOS, P.O. Box 408.

IN BRIEF: Dominican Rep to rely on fiber backbone to meet connectivity goal – Dominican R.

Internet connections in the Dominican Republic grew 26% last year to over 6mn, compared to the broadband penetration target of 70% of the country’s population of 10.6mn.

The head of telecom regulator Indotel, José del Castillo Saviñón, was quoted by daily Listín Diario as saying that the nation’s economy will grow an additional 3% annually for each 10% rise in the population’s connected rate.

He added that the fiber backbone being built by state-run transmission company Eted will provide connectivity to 10 provinces currently lacking internet services, which should help meet the 70% goal of digital inclusion program República Digital.

Copyright 2015 Business News Americas
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