Cellular phone company Digicel Group announced yesterday its acquisition of Curacao Telecom NV (CT), the Curacao-based telecommunications company, bringing to eight the number of Caribbean territories in which the telecom operates.

Digicel said it would make significant investments in upgrading the infrastructure of the Curacao firm, and would expand the network over the next three years. The Curaao company was founded in 1999 and offers international telephone and internet services, as well as mobile telecommunications solutions.

With a population of approximately 150,000 people, Curaco has a mobile penetration of about 75 to 80 per cent.
Digicel says it plans to introduce new products and services to meet the "evolving needs of customers in Curaçao", and that it would maintain and support the management and employees of CT through extensive training and staff development programmes.

"Digicel's investment in Curaçao beckons a new era for telecommunications in our nation," said Antonio Ribeiro, founder and managing director of CT. "Digicel's experience in the Antilles marketplace, its customer-first philosophy, and all the associated benefits of its presence in the community - including job creation, charitable initiatives and sponsorships - will have a positive impact on the residents of Curaçao."

Digicel currently operates in Aruba, Barbados, The Cayman Islands, Grenada, Jamaica, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines. It is the largest GSM mobile operator in the region with an average market share of 60 per cent.

The company says its customer base grew by 33 per cent last year. The company is headquartered in Jamaica, the entry point for the Irish investors in the region in 2001. "We are pleased to have Curaçao Telecom as part of the Digicel family, helping us create a seamless network of wireless coverage across the Caribbean," said Raoul Fontanez, Digicel Group CEO.

He stated that Digicel was looking to provide the residents and visitors to Curacao with affordable, cutting-edge telecommunications services. "We are proud to support the local management's mission to become the leading wireless telecommunications provider on the island," said Fontanez.

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