Telecommunications service provider Digicel has been awarded the contract by the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica (GoCD) to rebuild its telecommunications and ICT services over a 15-year term.

The award of this contract to Digicel comes after approval from Cabinet after accepting the recommendation of the Bid Evaluation Committee.

As Dominica works to recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Maria in September last year and focuses its renewal efforts on becoming a world-leading climate-resilient nation, the agreement sees Digicel working in close partnership with the Government to deliver a highly resilient and state-of-the-art network infrastructure.

Digicel will undertake the rebuilding and provisioning of telecommunications, Internet, data, cloud and other ICT services to all government sites — including every government office, school, community centre and health centre — across the island.

“We are honoured to have been selected by the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica for this transformational project which will provide the foundation for the provision of new, advanced digital services such as eGovernment, safe and smart cities, connected health and smart education, and make them a powerful reality for the people of Dominica,” Alexander Matuschka, Digicel Group CEO, said.

Commenting on the strategic partnership, Dominica’s Minister of Information, Science, Telecommunications and Technology Kelver Darroux said, “Telecommunications and ICT are vital necessities for all sectors in the Dominican economy. It is imperative that the role of telecommunications and ICT be seen as an economic resilience phenomenon and, therefore, a catalyst for economic growth and prosperity.

“This is a vital first step on the path towards Dominica becoming a world-leading climate-resilient nation. We are on a mission to ensure we are strongly positioned for the future, and that we have the right ICT infrastructure in place to take full advantage of the benefits of a strong digital economy,” Darroux said.