Roundup: Indotel, Movilnet, Conatel - Dominican R., Venezuela

The Dominican Republic's telecoms regulator, Indotel, and the government of South Korea are studying different ways to strengthen cooperation in the IT and communications fields, Indotel said in a statement.

The South Korean government invited an Indotel delegation to visit the country on February 9-12, according to the report.

Indotel's delegation included president of the board David Pérez Taveras and technical manager Eduardo Evertz.

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Venezuelan state-owned mobile telephony operator Movilnet deployed 16 new base stations across the country during January, the operator said in a statement.

Eight of the new base stations use UMTS technology, while six are based on GSM technology and the remaining two are CDMA-based stations, Movilnet said.

Movilnet deployed 424 new base stations across the country in 2010.

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Venezuela ended last year with a total of some 10.2mn internet users, up from 8.84mn a year before, according to recent data from the country's telecoms watchdog, Conatel.

According to the regulator, there were 2.6mn internet connections in the country at end-2010.

Conatel also said the telecoms sector represented 6.3% of the country's GDP in 2010. Telecoms operators' operating revenues grew 21.1% last year compared with 2009, Conatel added.

OUR eyes island-wide broadband network - Jamaica

Jamaica's government will aim to expand the broadband network island-wide over the next few years, according to the Office of Utilities Regulation's (OUR) business plan and budget for fiscal years 2011-12 and 2013-14.

"Specifically, the strategy is to create an appropriate regulatory environment conducive to investments in ICT and network development; promote multiple modes of information delivery systems and networks including new wireless and wired technologies; implement appropriate compliance measures; improve billing and collection procedures," according to budget documents from OUR.

To achieve this, OUR said it will focus on implementing a regulatory framework for continued growth of the sector and the spread of competition, while also ensuring the framework is conducive to the deployment of next generation technology. OUR will also promote international and regional connectivity and local internet exchange points to increase the availability of high-speed communications.

The regulator will furthermore conduct a broadband baseline data survey, the findings of which will help in developing a new universal service/access policy.

The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has approved funding to provide OUR with technical assistance to develop a regulatory framework for international submarine landing stations and cable facilities and other associated international facilities. This project was extended to June 2011.

Other goals include concluding studies on implementing number portability in Jamaica, and contracting the services of a consultant to develop a long-run incremental cost model to be used to determine cost-oriented termination rates.

"At the very least, this will reduce the variation in termination rates across the different networks and possibly reduce termination rates altogether," according to the regulator.

OUR reviewed the following highlights for 2010:

- Upholding by the Telecommunications Appeal Tribunal (TAT) of OUR's defense against Digicel's appeal on the mobile call termination dominance assessment, allowing OUR to direct dominant providers to issue a reference interconnection offer (RIO) to set out the terms and conditions for interconnection.

- Issuing a carrier license to Digicel Cable Communications to build, own and operate two international submarine cables and associated facilities, originating in Jamaica and terminating in Haiti and the Bahamas.

-Carrying out a cost-benefit analysis to determine the feasibility of implementing number portability in Jamaica.

Use this link for access to the full 95-page document.

Alba submarine fiber optic cable touches down in Ocho Rios - Jamaica, Regional

The Alba-1 submarine fiber optic cable system connecting Venezuela and Cuba has now arrived in Jamaica as well, Venezuela's state news service AVN reported.

After first connecting the cable from Siboney, Cuba, to Camuri, Venezuela, a boat carrying the cable from the Aguadores beach in Cuba arrived in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, on Monday (Feb 14).

In the project's second stage, the cable is expected to extend to Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

A US$72mn investment, the cable is 1,630km long and has bandwidth capacity of 640GB. It is expected to have a lifespan of 25 years and is being deployed by France's Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU). Work on the project is slated for completion in July of this year.

The Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (Alba) is a regional integration initiative founded in 2006 and involves Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Haiti, Honduras and Dominica. It is intended to act as a counterbalance to US trade policies in the region.

Columbus launches ICT branch CBS - Trinidad & Tobago

Barbados-based telecommunications provider Columbus Communications has launched its ICT branch Columbus Business Solutions (CBS) in Trinidad and Tobago to serve its retail and corporate clients, according to local newspaper Newsday.

The company's retail and corporate clients in the country were formerly served by its subsidiary Flow under the name Flow Business Solutions. According to Columbus Communications' Southern Caribbean region president and COO, John Reid, the name change was made because CBS's services are available in areas beyond the reach of Flow's cable television and triple play services.

CBS's services are available through underwater fiber-optic network Arcos for customers in Panama City, Guatemala, Honduras, Puerto Rico and Bogota. The brand is expected to become consistent throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.

Columbus' subsidiary - Barbados-based network services provider Columbus Networks - owns 94% undivided interest in Arcos, which is an 8,600km-long, US$450mn cable that connects Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

For clients in Trinidad and Tobago, CBS offers entertainment, voice, data, advertising and broadband solutions. The CBS portfolio features high-speed IP services from private lines to advanced multipoint to multipoint connections using the latest network technologies, available for local businesses that require connections around the world.

IDB calls for expressions of interest on GovNet project consultancy - Jamaica

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has invited eligible consultancies to submit expressions of interest for a contract to support essential pre-investment activities for Jamaica's implementation of a government-wide network, dubbed GovNet, IDB announced.

Expressions are due February 24 for the project, the goals of which are fourfold: reducing overall telecommunication costs for the government, increasing the economic disincentive for state agencies to set up their own networks individually, improving secure communications, and reducing the costs of providing public services and information.

The consultancy chosen will assess the Jamaican government's connectivity program, defining current costs and options for reducing costs, while making recommendations on GovNet's most appropriate business model and best technical design.

The idea is to enable a secure managed network providing data, video and voice connectivity. "Ideally, GovNet would be structured as a public-private partnership (PPP)," IDB said.

Consultants may associate to enhance their qualifications, it added.

In November last year, Jamaica's government received a J$20.5mn (US$242,000 at the time) grant from IDB under a technical cooperation agreement to get the government-wide network up and running. The state will contribute with an additional J$5mn in counterpart funding.

Use this link for further information.