Raoul Fontanez

Digicel, the Irish-owned, Jamaica-based mobile phone company, yesterday named a new group CEO for its Caribbean operations and the appointment of Seamus Lynch to its board to work with chairman and major shareholder, Denis O'Brien, to develop "other opportunities" in the telecoms sector.

Lynch has been based in Kingston for nearly five years, from where he spearheaded Digicel's launch in Jamaica and other Caribbean islands, breaking Cable & Wireless' monopoly in the regional telecoms market.

Seamus Lynch

Yesterday he told the Observer that the appointment of Raoul Fontanez as chief executive would, apart from his work with O'Brien, also allow him time to "work on some personal projects".

"I expect to still be heavily involved in the Caribbean as a member of the Digicel board and in some other projects," Lynch said.

Fontanez, who will formally take over as group CEO on September 1, was until recently the CEO of the mobile phone companies, Orange Dominicana (Dominican Republic) and Orange Caraïbe (French West Indies).

"Raoul's proven leadership and experience in the Caribbean ideally positions him to successfully lead Digicel through its next phase of growth," O'Brien, Digicel's founder, said in a statement. "His understanding of the wireless industry and the dynamic Caribbean marketplace align perfectly with our goals for continued investment in the expansion of Digicel's network."

Analysts suggested yesterday that Lynch will be a hard act to follow, especially in Jamaica where he is very intimately identified with the Digicel persona and widely recognised on the social scene.

"I will be around until maybe about November," Lynch said.
Digicel paid US$45.5 million for one of the two mobile telephone licences auctioned by the Jamaica government in late 1999, in the first phase of the liberalisation of the telecom's market.

The company launched its service early in 2001, and with a slick and blistering marketing and promotions campaign, aided by consumer disenchantment with C&W's poor service, quickly surpassed Cable & Wireless' subscriber base.

Digicel now has more than one million subscribers in Jamaica, which, on a per capita basis, is one of the world's fastest-growing mobile telephone markets.

Since then Digicel and Cable & Wireless, which, with the advent of competition, has become increasingly aggressive in fighting for market share, have crossed swords in the Cayman Islands, Barbados, Grenada, and St Vincent and the Grenadines, where C&W held monopolies. Digicel also operates in Aruba.

In the face of the company's rapid growth, Lynch was promoted to oversee the regional operations, and David Hall named to head the Jamaica business.
In yesterday's statement, O' Brien described lynch as having been "an invaluable asset" to the company's development.

"His dedication enabled the company to surpass local and Caribbean competitors to become the mobile provider of choice," O'Brien said. "I look forward to working with him in his new role on the board."

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