JPS plans on offering limited telecoms services
POWER provider, the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS), plans to provide telecom services in some shape or form following its granting of three telecom licences.
The company plans to utilise these licences for “both” internal and retail purposes going forward but a concrete strategy remains uncertain, JPS president and chief executive Kelly Tomblin said in an interview with the Jamaica Observer on Friday following the annual general meeting at its head office in Kingston.
“There is a blurring of the lines between energy and communication. The company is weighing its strategic options,” added Tomblin.
“Whether its telecoms or energy solutions we will take the next couple of months to review the strategic options to see what is right for us,” she said.
She however denied that the company would provide telecom’s services that rival in some way those offered by Flow and Digicel.
“I am not saying that. I also said gas, electronic and telecoms. Right now its time for JPS to stand back and weigh its strategic options going forward,” she said when pressed about directly competing in the telecom’s market.
Since the start of this month the Jamaica Observer attempted to get clarity on the role of its telecom licences following the release by the regulator of its latest licence spreadsheet.
The telecom licences held by JPS allow it to provide international voice service , domestic carrier and domestic voice services, according to the Office of Utilities Regulation in its licencing spreadsheet released this month. Although JPS acquired two of its licences in 2012 it was largely unknown by the general public until the release of the OUR spreadsheet.
JPS generates, transmits, distributes and supplies electricity in accordance with its amended and restated All-Island Electric Licence granted in 2011.
JPS is owned by Japan-based Marubeni Corporation at 40 per cent; South Korea-based Korea East-West Power at 40 per cent; the Government of Jamaica at 19.9 per cent; and some 3,000 shareholders holding the remaining 0.1 per cent of the shares.
